01x02 - Episode 2

[bunniefuu]

Previously on Kingdom...

...Olimba, the leopard, lost her son.

Can she help her
daughter to independence?

Tandala, the hyena,
faced enormous challenges,

all whilst expecting her first cub.

Storm, the wild dog...

...fought for the kingdom as
a home for her growing family.

But now she's facing a new threat.

A pride of lions.

And one of her puppies...

...is stranded.

Can Storm save him?

Five years.

Four families.

Who will rule this kingdom?

Storm and her pack must act fast.

Their persistent calls draw the lion's
attention away from the pup...

...and it grabs the chance...

...to escape.

This land...

...has become dangerous.

The annual rains transform Nsefu.

The land becomes a green world.

The wild dog pups are
enjoying themselves.

This is their first wet season.

The pups are ten months old.

They may look like grown-ups,
but they don't behave that way.

And Storm, their mother,
must teach them how to hunt.

But the clock is ticking.

She is, once again, pregnant.

After the rain, the grass is so tall...

...just finding prey
becomes very difficult.

The hunt is on.

The pups ought to keep up with their
mother if they're to learn how it's done.

But, within minutes,
they're lost in the long grass.

And the adults don't
wait for stragglers.

The pups are still lost.

Up ahead, for the pack...

...success.

The pups may have missed the action...

...but the adults always make
sure that the youngest eat first.

Hunting isn't the only
lesson the pups need to learn.

Tandala.

A hyena on the prowl
must be dealt with swiftly.

First lesson...

...the best form of defence is attack.

The second...

...work together.

And the third...

...do so while avoiding
the hyena's bone-crushing jaws.

It's all too much for Tandala.

The stakes for her
have never been higher.

She's just given birth...

...to her first cub.

Her den is hidden away
in a grove of ebony trees.

It's not just warthogs.

The rest of the hyena
family is here too.

This is Tenta, the leader of the clan.

She has just produced not one...

...but two cubs.

Her twins are a little older...

...and a little bolder...

...than Tandala's cub.

And this is Tam, Tandala's sister.

Her cub is so young,
he has not yet emerged.

They might all be one extended family...

...but each will only
care for her own cub.

Hyena mothers rarely help each other.

It's a busy time for new mothers...

...all across Nsefu.

This season's newborns are
taking their first uncertain steps.

But new arrivals and their
mothers are easy targets.

The impact of the lions is increasing.

They are top predators.

The lions are not
intimidated by anyone...

...even... at night.

A crocodile's bite is more than
twice as powerful as a lion's.

But even so...

...the pride just treats
this one like a plaything.

And this is merely the warm-up.

When hunting in a group,
lions will tackle even a hippo.

Tonight, however, this seems
to be demanding too much effort.

And there is another option.

They're so powerful...

...they can simply steal.

Tonight,
Storm's family loses out to the lions.

But every family in Nsefu...

...must be on their guard.

These roars proclaim the pride's
great confidence and power.

Olimba the leopard is at
a pivotal moment in her life.

Her behaviour is changing.

She is marking her territory with scent.

Registering her presence...

...and declaring that
she's ready to breed again.

That means her daughter, Mutima,
is spending more time alone.

Now, being a year old,
she should be able to hunt for herself.

But so far...

...she's all prance...

...and no pounce.

She's got great speed...

...and a phenomenal three-metre leap...

...but she hasn't
yet put it all together.

There is an enticing scent in the air.

Olimba has made a k*ll.

But Mutima is not sure whether
her mother is willing to share.

She tries to avoid wakening her.

It could be risky if she's caught.

Leopard mothers can be surprisingly
aggressive with their adolescent cubs.

Mutima is in big trouble.

As they wrestle...

...the carcass falls.

And Olimba climbs down to reclaim it.

For Mutima, this is a tough lesson.

She's never experienced
aggression like this before.

By refusing to share...

...Olimba is forcing her
daughter to go it alone.

There is one more place where
Mutima could try to find food...

...a colony of yellow-billed storks...

...the largest in Zambia.

Each wet season,
hundreds of them come here to nest.

A fallen chick...

...a good meal for a leopard.

And one worth guarding.

Hunting practice will resume tomorrow.

Tucked away in a secret den,
Storm has just given birth...

...to her second litter
since arriving in Nsefu.

She has nine puppies,
her biggest litter yet.

At this early age,
they're very vulnerable.

Storm won't leave their
side for several weeks.

She will rely on the rest of
the pack to bring her food.

Last year's pups have
stepped up just in time...

...returning with dinner.

The whole family will be
needed to raise this litter.

And they are about to be tested...

...because Nsefu is being
transformed once again.

The floodwaters are receding.

And as they do,
there is a changing of the guard.

The young yellow-billed
storks begin to leave their nests.

The river banks are now exposed
and provide excellent homes

for the recently arrived bee-eaters.

And thousands of Cape buffalo start
trudging towards the Luangwa River.

Their path brings them close
to Storm's hidden hideout.

Buffalo might trample the new pups.

The family work together
to drive the buffalo away.

Back at the den...

...disaster.

The den has collapsed and
the pups are trapped underground.

Storm has only minutes to save her pups.

A survivor.

But eight others are still trapped.

The other adults now
follow Storm's lead...

...while she carries
the survivors to safety.

Despite their efforts,
the pack cannot save them all.

Five pups, however, have made it.

The dry season forces
animals towards the river...

...and towards each other.

Great buffalo herds keep coming...

...trailed by the lions.

This could bring a new
opportunity for the hyena mothers...

...Tandala, Tenta and Tam.

But to take it,
they must leave their cubs behind.

If the lions bring down a buffalo,
there's a good chance the hyena mothers

may be able to steal a meal.

But it's never easy to steal from lions.

The lions must be very careful.

The exhausted buffalo is down.

Now the hyenas will have a chance.

But trying to claim a share
of this k*ll immediately...

...would not be sensible,
and Tandala gets a warning.

Female lions are aggressive...

...but males are even more so.

With the males here...

...will the mothers now have to
give up the opportunity to feed?

The night echoes to
the sound of skirmishes.

Next morning, back at the den,

the hungry cubs are eagerly
awaiting their mothers' return.

But there has been a tragedy.

One of the hyena
mothers has been k*lled.

There's nothing left
for the others to do...

...but to return home, still hungry.

Tenta is first to arrive.

Tandala's cub is still waiting.

At last, Tandala is back...

...with her son.

But Tam's cub...

...is still alone.

He will never see his mother again.

And without her, he can't survive.

Olimba is doing something
that is rarely seen.

These calls can carry for miles and tell
males that she's looking for a mate.

While Olimba is occupied...

...Mutima takes the opportunity
to hunt in her mother's territory.

This could be a good hiding place.

Maybe not.

Time to change tack.

She waits...for night.

Her nocturnal vision is
better than that of her prey.

In the darkness...

...and hiding in the gully,
she has a chance.

She needs to get within ten metres.

At last.

Although the antelope weighs
twice as much as she does...

...Mutima will have to
drag it to a safe place...

...before any hyenas get here.

A feast.

She can now hunt for herself...

...evade scavengers...

...and is even bold enough
to chase this rival away.

Mutima is no longer
reliant on her mother

and is ready for the next
chapter of her life.

Her mother's calls have
attracted a powerful male leopard.

He's hunting near Storm's new den.

The pack instinctively
rush to drive him away.

But whenever a pack leaves the den,
the pups are always at risk.

Lions have been a threat for months...

...and they've found the den.

Worse, they've k*lled a pup.

Storm can't keep her
family safe any more.

They turn and run...

...and keep running...

...retreating beyond Nsefu's border.

Will they ever be able to return?

The lions are now in the ascendant.

And hidden away is
a key to their future.

The first cubs in more than a year...

...born to lioness Rita.

She is nine years old and
the most experienced lioness here.

But even protected by
a seasoned mother...

...her family may face
danger at any time...

...and from anywhere.

Elephants won't step aside...

...for anyone.

It will now be the lions' turn...

...to feel the pressure.