Clip: Episode 2 | 5m 21s | Video has closed captioning.
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.
Aired: 09/18/24
I see a cub.
A cub.
There.
Could it be a cub?
That's... a huge relief.
♪ This is the highlight of my day.
Old Uncle Gordon has been worried about you.
[Cub yawns] So, this termite mound is the perfect little play fort for a little group of lion cubs.
It's like a castle.
It's ideal.
They're so well protected in there.
♪ This pride has done exactly the right thing.
I think having such a big threat so close, these cubs kind of seemed to shrink in size.
They look smaller and more vulnerable than they do on a normal day.
80% of cubs won't make it to their second birthday.
So, yeah, I think... that my concerns are quite legitimate.
[Insects buzzing] Vianet, Sets for Gordon.
I've got good news.
Found the cubs.
They're all alive.
That's wonderful.
All right.
I should see you shortly.
Thank you again.
Copy that.
Whoo!
Looky there.
Yeah, Vianet, I can see cubs.
Narrator: These experienced mothers have kept their cubs safe.
♪ The entire family is here.
Narrator: But in this burned landscape, the safety of the whole pride is now up to these two lions.
Gordon: This is Big Toe and Madumo, two really impressive lions.
They are the pride males.
Madumo and Big Toe are nearly 10 years old.
For half a decade, they've been at the... at the very top.
Sets: With the fire, them having to meet up like this is good to get a sense of security and to relax a bit.
[Roars softly] The cubs are coming in.
[Cubs growling playfully] ♪ And look at the cubs.
They're really happy.
They're climbing.
They're climbing the tree.
♪ When we're at home with the cubs and the females, they wouldn't be out in the open like this.
They will stay in long grass.
But now that Madumo and Big Toe are here, they're completely in the open, as if there's nothing to fear.
Narrator: Unlike other big cats, male lions stick around throughout the raising of their young.
Together, Big Toe and Madumo have fathered over a dozen cubs.
Sets: I'm proud of what these two dominant males have accomplished.
Big Toe and Madumo are a prime example of males that do a very good job at protecting their pride and their territory, no matter the cost.
Narrator: But they have a problem.
The wildfire has wiped out the territorial scent markings that Big Toe and Madumo use to ward off intruder male lions.
Gordon: Inevitably, some other lions are gonna want to take all of this away from them.
Narrator: Now, the pressure is on these two males to protect their territory and their young cubs.
[Growling softly] [Roaring] [Gordon speaking] [Roaring] So, that's like a lion dropping a...a PIM, letting everyone know this is exactly where these two... these two lions are.
[Roaring] Narrator: A lion's roar can travel more than three miles.
[Roaring]
