[Music] power and elegance Africa's big cats we think of them as kings ruling over fearful subjects but not all their neighbors accept that role this powerful hyena Clan is constantly clashing with a local pride of life three lionesses with nine Cubs on the granite rocks of the [Music] Serengeti they've survived their first perilous months but all nine will soon face serious [Music] challenges as the pride breaks up the future of the Young Lions is thrown into doubt while their Eternal enemies the hyenas have not gone away the Duel of the hunters continues these rocks are
the center of the Lion's territory it's an ideal location with plenty of hideaways for young cubs three lionesses have safely reared their young here nearby water holes attract a steady supply of potential prey bulky zebras are difficult Quarry for a single lioness but one of the three females decides to take them on crowded together the zebras are not on their guard that helps but the Lioness must cross a lot of open ground [Music] [Music] the [Music] a lion's attack is an enthralling mix of stalking speed and brute strength spotted hyenas in their Clan headquarters close
to to the Rocky Valley use entirely different tactics the tightly organized pack raises its young in the open Savannah hyena females dominate in a strict hierarchy that can hold the clan together for decades lion kings rarely control of Pride for more than 2 years and the monarchs of the rock Pride have been deposed in a fight with foreign males one of the Kings has disappeared the other is seriously wounded his time has run out he can no longer protect his offspring and yet he has done better than many another male his young are already grown
and nearing Independence now all he can do is survive alone barely able to [Music] hunt new males now rule the territory of the rock Pride that's not good news for the existing older Sons of the pride The Interlopers will not tolerate any other males any encounter could be [Music] fatal the conquerors lose no time claiming The Spoils of their victory they know they too could be deposed at any time within 3 weeks the females are ready to mate with them these are uncertain times for the lionesses will the new males be strong enough to protect
their young will they stay at all or will they move on looking for more territories and more females the two oldest sons of the previous Kings have already quit the Valley of the Rocks they have turned into Nomads wandering on their own in the hope of finding another territory to take over as Singletons it would be almost impossible to drive away the males of another pride in tandem they might just have a chance a hyena Clan rarely knows such upheavals high status females guarantee the stability of the pack whenever they can these females reinforce their
alliances to maintain their position so a hyena pack can stay together for Generations the only newcomers are males joining from outside and they start right at the [Music] bottom rebellions are rare one evening three females sense an opportunity to rise in the hierarchy they've been supporting each other for months now it's become a strategic Alliance first they intimidate a suckling mother they would never dare to do that alone as a trio they can mob a higher status female without risk of [Music] retaliation after the first success they now dare to approach their real intended victim
it's an older hyena who has often defended her position with vicious [Music] bites the coup succeeds the three Rebels have upset the hierarchy but there's still a Long Way to the Top [Music] in the Lion's Pride close by things have calmed [Music] down the younger siblings are ignored by the new Kings they don't see the subadult sons as a challenge to their [Music] rule but the brothers are already much stronger than their sisters and claim most of the food soon Rough and Tumble between brothers and sisters could turn into something more serious real tensions begin
to surface a few days later it's [Music] serious some of the Young Lions have been injured in the squabbles the young males have not been banished by the new rulers and they're making their sisters lives very difficult only a few days ago they were still Playmates [Applause] now teeth and Claws have drawn blood these wounds will heal soon but there's no love lost between them unlike hyenas Lions have no fixed hierarchy with so many animals living together the situation easily becomes confused and unwieldy a sibling group is gradually breaking [Music] apart first two females break
away the five remaining Brothers stay together and two of the sisters stay with them the two female Singletons remain close to the Rocks but avoid their relatives soon they are completely [Music] independent they're already good Hunters but they lack experience especially dealing with their neighbors the hyenas [Music] the coming weeks will be a hard School the first lesson hunting at night the best chance to approach unseen on the open Plains they usually start out separately often stopping to listen closely the Impalas are too fast for them but the young lionesses have noticed something else topi
and they haven't sensed the Predator's [Music] presence neither Predator nor prey can see much they Orient themselves almost entirely by their hearing her sister targets the antelopes too approaching from the opposite [Music] [Music] side the sound of the first attacker's tread gives her away the antelopes are too fast for her but her sister is in position in time a perfect Ambush a hyena has registered the lioness's hunt right away it's on the spot and a hyena is rarely on its own the Lioness has to keep the death grip on the antelope's throat she can't drive
the hyenas away her sister storms in but the hyenas won't give up and the row attracts more and more clan members it's getting dicey for the young lionesses they eat as much and as fast as they can just like the hyenas when so many hyenas come together the ranking system they have evolved over time minimizes fighting and biting the hyenas get Bolder as their numbers increase finally they move in for the lck all the sisters can do is get out of there alive it's a hard lesson watch out when hunting when there are hyenas [Music]
about these unpleasant experiences take the sisters to areas where they're less likely to bump into hyenas or other Lions there's little competition here but where the grass is tall Woody and stringy there are few herbivores they spend days looking for food and finally they find something in this grassy jungle warthogs don't go on Long [Music] walkabouts especially when they have young for the hungry Lions they may be the last IM emergency rations warthogs are hard to catch and they don't give in easily you have to get close or risk losing them in the High Grass
an adult warthog can outrun a lioness in a long Chase and even the young are not easily brought [Music] down she will soon lose energy for the [Music] pursuit but her sister has held back until now and she finishes the job meat is hard to come by that's why predators are such bitter Rivals not just lions and hyenas but Lions versus Lions too the worst competition is often within not between the species to find a big carcass is to win the lottery both lions and hyenas will consume Carion whenever they get the chance an Anthrax
epidemic has killed dozens of hippos enormous amounts of food if you have the stomach to digest it there's so much to go around this Noble male doesn't need to pull rank in fact many big cats scratch along in this less than exalted manner whether it's because they're inexperienced or too old like this aged battler the crocodiles will take their share too for this Old Lion the epidemic is a lifesaver no longer able to hunt he often goes hungry for weeks for him emulating the hyenas by eating Carion is sensible Royal dignity must be dispensed with
[Applause] but that doesn't mean he wants to share he can still make an impression and in fact this mountain of meat has half restored his strength but the crocodile senses he isn't capable of a real attack and it's no longer intimidated by his [Music] threats nothing for it but to withdraw male lions die much younger than females many of them exactly this way he has come to the end of his long [Music] life other lions that aren't so skilled at the chase have a different strategy to find [Music] food this isn't so very Royal either
in fact it's rather laborious the older Sons of the banished Kings have gone their separate ways and one of them has learned that warthogs are not always safe in their [Music] holds one warthog is lying tantalizingly close to the entrance to the [Music] burrow the lion mustn't get within range of his dangerous [Music] tusks sometimes warthogs choose a burrow that's too small to protect every me of the [Music] family the Hogs are basically sitting in a trap they can only hope the lion will tire and give [Music] up it was 4 hours of hard work
before the lion pulled the hog out of the tunnel mouth two young and a second female Got [Music] [Music] Away the hard graft was worth it this warthog will feed him for more than a week not far away a hyena mother has Uninvited visitors a group of warthogs are surveying her home perhaps a better one they show her not the slightest respect the hyena is unsure she can't attack an adult warthog that would be too dangerous hyenas and HS both need the holes to protect their young from cold and from predators they have no choice
and must both live with the risk that a lion will occasionally turn his paws into [Music] shovels there are new arrival at the Valley of the Rocks after 4 months a lioness has given birth to The conqueror's Offspring but the new Kings didn't stay and soon disappear the previous litter is nearly 2 years old they won't help defend the young or the territory in fact they're competitors for food and will steal their share from any kill the newborns could even starve to death the young males are especially greedy the Lioness mother has to do something
[Applause] this isn't her first [Applause] warning but with every passing day the message is [Music] clearer it's simple get out of [Music] here The Bachelors must leave their [Music] [Applause] land it's the end of the old rock [Music] Pride it's tough on the Adolescent males until now they could scr off their mother their sisters now they'll have to fend for themselves five young males have powerful potential but they need self-confidence and that comes with experience that has to be earned a massive bull may be too ambitious for a first [Applause] go these boys have witnessed
many a buffalo Kill by The Pride they know they must attack from behind to avoid those deadly horns for a few seconds they had a chance but the bull has allies they can't separate him from the group it'll take a few more rehearsals to have it down pat if they stay together there's a good chance they'll become successful Hunter though it may not seem so [Music] yet months have [Music] passed the land has dried out more and more fires are starting in the south of the Reserve vast expanses are burning Rising hot air draws huge
amounts of smoke and water vapor into the [Music] [Music] atmosphere as the fire rips across the grasslands it's an inferno for the smallest animals for the stalks it's feeding [Music] time kols also indulge with abandon like the white stalks they're still in their winter quarters this is their last Feast before heading [Music] home lilac breasted rollers seek out hunting perches right behind the line of the fire and just have to [Music] wait tropical grasslands are adapted to regular naturally occurring fires the Savannah used to burn every 5 to 7 years and then recover quickly but
in recent years bush fires have increased dramatically satellite photos show vast plumes of smoke drifting over Africa for months on end this isn't just the result of climate change more and more farmers and herdsmen are setting fire to Bush and old grass to clear fields and renew pasture [Music] most of the Grassroots withstand the brief extreme heat and the ash fertilizes the soil once it rains the land is soon green again but when there are too many fires the vegetation changes fire resistant red oat grass now dominates the Borderlands between Kenya and Tanzania scientists fear
that wide sades of this protected region will no longer support good grazing for antelopes and [Music] gazel for the large mammals the fires aren't an immediate problem they simply get out of the way but for the smaller animals it's not so easy the young hair is scared to run too far its mother must be able to find it its singed coat is the least of its problems [Music] the Raptors are circling above it's safer to stay undercover towards evening the wind will drop the little hair has more or less survived its Adventure its mother will
soon find it [Music] [Music] again in the fire season the sun frequently Rises behind a pole of dark smoke the black devastated land is an apocalyptic site animals walk through the carbonized landscape plenty of opportunists arrive to see what they can pick up [Music] warthogs aren't great Nomads they stay for the last remnants of grass and wait for fresh shoots so the charred land is never empty now all depends on the weather if it stays dry for months most hooved animals will leave if it rains these areas will be especially desirable even for Lions because
the fresh grass will attract ever more herbivores so for territorial animals like lions and hyenas fires bring uncertainty territories might be given up nearby Clans and Prides may be [Music] challenged neighbors and Nomads break into temporarily abandoned territories The Rock Pride siblings are caught up in the chaos one of the solo lionesses wants to settle here but her two sisters have already claimed the territory the sisterly relationship isn't entirely forgotten there's no fight the occupiers leave it at a silent warning this year the inhabitants of the charred and singed Savannah don't have long to [Music]
wait the rainy season is punctual and [Music] abundant [Music] [Music] salvation for all the animals of the mara [Music] Reserve briefly the Savannah [Music] blooms [Music] the antelopes returned to their accustomed [Music] areas and some of the hunting grounds are newly staked out the territory of the rock pride has been undefended for some time increasingly neighboring lions are entering entering the Space 3 months after the great fire the lush green attracts plenty of hooped animals the new grass just a few centimet long is a especially nutritious and succulent for Lions this is now a land
of [Music] opportunity a new has occupied the [Music] territory the toies know the lions are too sluggish In the Heat of the day to take one of them by [Music] surprise they for Gather in a jousting yard a l the Bulls command small territories from which they banish other males they try to convince as many females as possible of their qualities in order to mate with them that involves a lot of running round and showing off it can be exhausting in the increasing heat but defend your patch successfully and you get your reward toward midday
most females leave it all goes quiet the lions are resting and many of the Bulls do the same others may prefer to freshen up hyenas are famous for their liquid siestas which are most unusual for lions and yet some of the new arrivals do take a quick dip in the midday Sun this is very very rare behavior for big cats maybe a single female first took the plunge and then it became a pride tradition so the hyenas on the edge of the Rock Valley have new neighbors but right now they're only interested in the ulates
the hooved animals the Bulls wait stoically for the return of the antelope females resting in the shade no lion could get this close to one of the antelopes without provoking a powerful alarm reaction the antelope bulls will not leave their any territories to be taken over by a rival they must simply tolerate the heat the hyena has no intention of disturbing anyone she's simply approaching on tiptoe the antelopes keep an eye on her but she makes it clear she has no interest in them at all they're just lying there as she strolls [Music] by the
antelopes show no sign of fear the hyenas disguise their intentions perfectly and so a deadly G develops in the heat are the Bulls paying enough attention the antelopes just don't seem worried the hyenas don't seem to be cooperating with each other at all they look supremely relaxed even though they're fully concentrated and focused on their [Music] prey most of the antelopes still have no idea what's going on but the game continues attacks like this are a challenge even with the benefit of surprise the bystanders of the water hole stay cool the two hyenas continue their
stroll and turn a midday nap into a nightmare the hyena is hanging on with its full weight no way is it letting [Music] go and now the clan colleague joins [Music] in [Music] the buck is in deep shock and is overcome the Lioness knows exactly what's going on and knows there's no rush like the most natural in the world she claims the kill with a lion's typical bite to the throat a second lioness soon joins her and a third is already on the way it takes time for more hyena to get here from the Valley
of the Rocks this is right on the edge of their territory and the lionesses are creating a feta complete they're lucky there are so few highas here they can hold their own against [Music] four the hyenas won't Counterattack [Music] yet knowing time is short the lioness's RO ruthlessly impose their dominance with their [Music] [Music] teeth the original Huntress was unlucky bitten by a lioness she will be out of commission for the next few [Music] days the lionesses won't let the hyenas get away with anything even though a lion would never touch the entrails [Applause] the
noise level builds as the hyenas call for [Music] reinforcements one other Factor plays for the [Music] Lions the hyenas belong to different Clans and so they won't cooperate as they pursued the antelopes they invaded another Clan's territory as more hyenas arrive they must assess who they're dealing with before they move on to the kill it doesn't matter who made the kill the important thing is which clan has more members here so when the lionesses withdraw The Rock Valley hyenas yield to the neighbor clan that outnumbered [Music] [Music] them the winners eat as fast as they
can that's a rule of hyena life and once again their strict hierarchy decides who gets how much to [Applause] [Music] eat a hyena Clan May constantly compete with a lion pride but their conflict with hyena neighbors is just as fierce when famished Rock Valley hyenas try to enter the fry they risk Serious injury for a few minutes The Rock Valley Clan seems to get the upper [Music] hand but in the end it's a numbers game the attack is repulsed hyenas are unquestioningly loyal to their [Music] Clan hyenas and lions for millions of years they have
been bitter adversaries both live in large family groups attacking the same prey in the same habitat but in the course of their evolution they have developed vastly different survival strategies traditionally we find lions more attractive but their underappreciated Rivals are in their own way just as successful and as long as we don't change the rules the jewel between lions and hyenas will endure Through the Ages to [Music] [Music] come
