Follow lions, leopards and cheetahs day and night In Botswana’s wild Okavango Delta.
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.
Follow lions, leopards and cheetahs day and night In Botswana’s wild Okavango Delta.
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.
Providing Support for PBS.org
Providing Support for PBS.org
Meet the Big Cats in the Series
1/19
Dominant male lions, Big Toe and Madumo, have been head of the Xudum Pride for half a decade.
Gordon Buchanan/BBC
2/19
Roaming male cheetah, Sepoko, uses a tree as a vantage point to scan the landscape for prey.
Tom Parry/BBC
3/19
One of the Xudum Pride's cubs rests in the shade after feasting on a buffalo carcass.
Russell Barnett/BBC
4/19
Young female leopard, Xudum, patrols her territory.
Russell Barnett/BBC
5/19
Domiant male lion, Big Toe, patrols his territory to keep his family safe.
Gordon Buchanan/BBC
6/19
Sub-adult male lions, Colin and Nkgonne, will soon leave the family to find a pride of their own.
Gordon Buchanan/BBC
7/19
Female leopard, Xudum, waits for prey as she tries to master the art of 'tree-hunting.'
Lindsey Parietti/BBC
8/19
The Xudum Pride females are formidable and will protect their cubs at all costs.
Gordon Buchanan/BBC
9/19
Resident female cheetah, Pobe, recovers from a failed chase.
Nick Roosen/BBC
10/19
Dominant male leopard, Mosweu, is a threat to female, Xudum, if she mates with another male.
Tom Parry/BBC
11/19
The Xudum Pride's oldest cub, Mathata, begins to develop his independence.
Gordon Buchanan/BBC
12/19
Young male leopard, Metsi, strays into the territory of a larger, more dominant male.
Tom Parry/BBC
13/19
Lone Xudum lioness, Matho, must take her cubs with her when she looks for food.
Mark Davenport/BBC
14/19
Mushi, the young male cheetah, waits for his opportunity to chase lechwe in a floodplain.
Gordon Buchanan/BBC
15/19
Male leopard, Mosweu, scans his territory for signs of rival males.
Lindsey Parietti/BBC
16/19
Xudum lioness, Naledi, moves her young cubs to a new den to keep them safe.
Mark Davenport/BBC
17/19
New mum, Xudum the leopard, must keep hidden from dangerous males if her cubs are to survive.
Russell Barnett/BBC
18/19
Roaming male cheetah, Sepoko, uses a termite mound to scent mark.
Russell Barnett/BBC
19/19
Inexperienced lion mum, Tsebe, is forced to hunt alone to feed her litter of five cubs.
Tom Parry/BBC
About the Series
In this new raw, unfiltered observational wildlife series, an elite camera team capture the dramatic lives of African big cats in the breath-taking Okavango Delta, Botswana.
Wildlife Cinematographers Gordon Buchanan, Vianet Djenguet and Anna Dimitriadis join forces with the Natural History Film Unit, Botswana, led by Brad Bestelink and his local camera team.
Following individual lions, cheetahs and leopards for six months, over two extreme seasons, this documentary shows their battle to survive in an increasingly challenging world. From unprecedented wildfire to flood and extreme drought, the cats and camera crew are tested to their limits.
With extraordinary, unparalleled access, in an area unvisited by tourists, and the opportunity to film from the ground, the air and through the night, the Big Cat 24/7 team work together to follow the cats’ lives around the clock.
A linear story across six crucial months, the camera team form unique bonds with the cats, and each other. Each episode follows a pivotal point in our cats’ lives… ending on a cliff-hanger.
A revolution in low light camera technology means the series showcases previously unseen behavior at night; cutting-edge drones keep track of the big cat’s movements like never before, and combining the raw endeavor of an expedition with premium natural history footage gives the show a contemporary new approach.
The series is aimed at a family audience; it doesn’t shy away from predation in the natural world, but documents it with taste.
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