My name is Austin Stevens.
I photograph the most dangerous animals in the world.
Now I pit my wits against the ultimate predator…
Austin: “I’ve seen a lion turn on a car before.”
…attempting to capture its struggle to survive.
Austin: “The animals are scattering.
They’re scattering!
I’ve got to get out.”
I’ve lived in Africa all my life.
And for most of that time, I’ve made my living getting close to the deadliest animals
on the continent.
Mostly I’ve focused on snakes…
Austin: “These guys have got a neuro-toxic venom.
That’s what I worry about.
One drop would be enough to kill you.
He’s gonna suddenly turn on me.
I know that.
Okay, look at me.
That’s the shot.”
…the more spectacular, the better.
Austin: “Ah, jeepers!
Ah!”
Mammals, though, have proved a more challenging subject…
Austin: “Holy shit.”
But there’s one African beast whose photo I’ve never been asked to take – until
now.
And, surprisingly, it’s the most famous of them all – the lion.
Most tourist shots show them resting or sleeping.
But I need to photograph them at their very best – on the hunt.
It’s going to be the ultimate test, and extremely dangerous.
Once a lion gets within range of its prey and identifies its victim, the execution is
deliberate, precise and very, very fast.
I’ll need to be in exactly the right place at just the right time.
Austin: “Having lived in Africa all my life, you’d
think I’d had plenty of opportunity to photograph lions.
And indeed I have.
But to get the specific photographs I’m looking for, you need all the cards stacked
in your favour.
Best place to do that, Plains of Serengeti.”
Stretching across northern Tanzania, the Serengeti is famed for its grassy savannahs.
Tanzania is home to over three thousand lions – more than anywhere else in the world.
I’m heading for Lake Ndutu, an area perfect for big cats.
I’ve timed my assignment to coincide with the arrival of the great migration.
Over one million wildebeest and zebra travel an annual circuit of close to three thousand
kilometers, chasing the promise of rain and fresh grass.
But despite there being so much potential prey about, I’m not expecting to get my
shots out yet.
Austin: “Although the plains are covered with huge
herds of game, lions actually prefer more wooded areas, especially if there’s water
available.
They’re ambush predators, and they like to sneak up on their prey and nail them.”
So that’s what I’m looking for.
Waterholes, fringed by plenty of trees and tall grass for cover.
I set out to scour the woodlands surrounding the plains to find my perfect stakeout.
The only problem is, strange noises are coming from my vehicle giving me a real cause for
concern.
Herds of zebra are already migrating down from the plains.
They clear the longer vegetation for the grass-loving wildebeest, who won’t be too far behind.
This is prime big cat habitat – plenty of shade, plenty of ambush cover, and lots of
prey about.
And it’s not long before my instinct is proved correct.
Austin: “Look at these.
Aren’t they great?
I’ve got big adult lions here.
Look at the size of these prints and how clear they are.
And I’ve got cubs.
There’s cubs over here as well.
I’m seeing at least one here, there’s one there.
There’s at least two adults and maybe two cubs as well.
Perfectly formed prints in the soft sand.
This is exactly what I’ve been looking for, and they’re going in that direction.”
So it’s back to the car, and after them.
The fresh tracks lead me down into a flooded gully.
Austin: “This is it.
This marsh is exactly what I’ve been looking for.
Not only that, I found some lion prints down here.
And there’s pools of water dotted throughout these reeds.
That’ll attract not only the lions, but their prey as well.
This is gonna be a great place to stakeout.”
In the intense afternoon heat, animals of all kinds are drawn to the marsh’s cool
water.
So I wait all day for a lion.
But with my vehicle in such poor shape, it’s too dangerous to risk staying out overnight.
I’ll resume my search in the morning.
I get up early because it gives me the best chance to find lions before they hide from
the heat of the day.
Austin: “I especially chose this vehicle because
it’s an open top.
I know that’s taking a bit of a chance because lions have been known to climb into vehicles.
But I really need this.
Wherever the lions are moving around me, I need to be able to move with my camera and
get my shots.
I’m gonna see what I can find.”
Problem is, this open-top vehicle may look the part, but it’s turning out to be a heap
of junk.
Austin: “My worst fears.
I think the crown and pinion is jammed, and I think the axle is snapped as well.
I can’t even turn it.
That’s jammed.
That’s the worst thing that can happen out here.
I’m not gonna get this moving in a hurry.
I’m gonna have to get some help, maybe even another vehicle.
I did see a village quite a few miles back.
A long way.
It’s my only chance though.
If I can find it, head in that direction.
Take a few things with.
I’ve come all the way out here to find lions.
I know I’m in the middle of lion country.
Let’s hope the lions don’t find me first.”
I’m on foot and I’m in lion country.
The temperature is already a crushing thirty-five degrees.
I’ve got to get some help soon.
The massai are generally peace loving, but I have no idea how they’ll react to a stranger.
I choose the most impressive house and ask for help
Austin: “How are you?”
Man: “Fine.”
Austin: “You speak some English?”
Man: “Yes, I speak, I do.”
Austin: “You speak good English.”
Man: “Yeah, yeah.”
Austin: “Pleased to meet you, man.”
He’s happy to help – but at a price.
Man: “It is there but, uh, it will cost you.”
Austin: “It will cost me?”
Man: “Yeah.”
Austin: “Can I check it out?”
Man: “Yes, check”
The best I was hoping for was a mechanic or at least some spare parts.
But this guy goes one better.
Austin: “It works.
How much?
One hundred, two, three, four, five, six, good?
Man: “A lot”
Austin: “A lot, seven, eight…”
It’s no time to bargain.
This is the perfect vehicle for my lion stakeout.
Austin: “Thank you.
Thank you very much.”
Austin: ”Believe that for luck?
I actually found a Land Rover all the way out here.
Not only that, it’s a working Land Rover that’s been fairly well looked after.
You know what this means, eh?
My mission is back on track.
Isaiah, ciao, thanks eh?”
Austin: ”Really amazing bit of luck, getting this
Land Rover.
Never thought that would happen.”
And its owner even threw in some Massai advice.
Austin: ”While I was talking to the guy, I was explaining
about my mission, getting lions, photographing lions.
Immediately he jumped on the subject and said to me there’s two kinds of lions.
One with a lot of fur around its neck; another one with none.
And he insisted that the one with fur around his neck you don’t have to worry about.
It’s the others that you’ve got to worry about.
Of course, he’s comparing male and female.
He probably sees that the females are the hunters, and so they’re more worried about
the females.”
He’s right.
To photograph lion hunting, I’m actually after the queen of beasts, not the king.
I may have lost a day changing vehicles, but if the prints I’ve found are from cubs,
that means lionesses are here too.
But lionesses keep their cubs very well hidden, which means I’ll need all my bush skills
to find them.
These prints in the dust are fresh and their owner suddenly appears just meters ahead.
Austin: ”Wow.”
My first lion, and it’s a male.
Austin: ”He’s walking right on the side of the
track.
He’s not even worried.
And he’s got a solid gate, like he’s going somewhere.”
He’s heading for the marsh and he could lead me to the pride.
Austin: ”And he’s marking territory, right there.
He gave a little squirt right on that bush over there.
He’s letting me know that this is his land.”
My open-top vehicle allows me an exceptional view, but it’s dangerous.
Austin: ”I’ve seen a lion attack a car before.
Do you know what’s scary?
Every now and then he turns directly towards me and he looks straight into my eyes.
And people always say don’t look directly into a cat’s eyes because it’s a threat.”
But I can’t afford to let him out of my sight.
I know how easily a cat can melt into the landscape.
Even one as big as this.
It’s as well to give the king of beasts a wide berth, even though this lion seems
uninterested in hunting.
Austin: ”Well it’s pretty obvious this guy’s
staying on this track.
So what I’m going to do is I’m going to go way ahead, lie in wait and let him walk
towards me and get some really good shots.
Wow.
This is fantastic.
I’m getting some great shots.
It’s just like I thought; he’s headed straight for the marsh.
He seems to be looking out for something.
It’s not prey because there was plenty of prey on the plains and he didn’t pay any
attention.
He wanted to get here to the marsh.
So it’s just a chance that he is looking for the females and maybe the cubs.
Or, alternatively, if he finds them and they’re not his cubs, there might be trouble; he might
have to kill them.
So I’m just gonna move out of the way and wait to see what happens.
Give him his space.”
If the lionesses and cubs are here, I want to find them before he does.
So I make an urgent circuit around the marsh.
Austin: “There are some lions.
I’ve found some lions.
I can see one.
There’s one female over there.
Let me just move around.
There’s two; there’s more than one.
There’s two females lying right here.
I’ve been riding all over the place.
They’re right here.
There’s more.
There’s cubs as well.
They’ve got cubs.
This is what I’ve been looking for.
I’ve got two female lions, one, two, I’ve got three; I’ve got a third one.
I’ve got three female lions, three female lions.
Three cubs, three or four cubs.
That’s incredible.
One, two, three, four.
There’s another cub.
I’ve got one, two, three, I’ve got four cubs and three females, that’s…there’s
another cub.
There’s six young cubs.
I’ve got cubs coming out of my ears here.”
This pride is exactly what I was hoping for.
But cubs this size are extremely vulnerable and that lone male is a major threat.
He may try to kill them to bring their mothers back into heat.
So I’ll need to keep track of his movements as well.
Austin: “Which cubs belong to which, I’m not sure.
But they’re all looking after each other.
They’re all playing together and everything.
So it’s obviously one happy group.
The two females are staying there; the other one’s right over here.
This one’s close now.
She’s really close to me and she’s really enjoying the cubs.
She lets the cubs play with her.
And you know what I’m seeing?
You don’t notice it that easily, I just saw now as she turned into the light.
She’s actually only got one eye, or at least one eye’s been damaged.
It looks like a scar going through her face over here, and her one eye’s more closed
than the other.
This is something that can happen very easily.
I mean they get into fights, or if she tackles something that fights back and she might get
hurt.
This is amazing.
But you know what’s the best of all, is now I know I’ve got this group.
If I can stay with this group, go with them day and night if possible, sooner or later
they’ve got to make a kill.
They’re gonna make a number of kills ‘cause we’ve got six cubs to look after here, three
big females that have to eat as well.
And they’re gonna be hunting regularly, and that means I’ve got a good chance of
getting my photos.
A good chance.”
The lion stakeout begins.
It may not seem so, but the rain is good news.
It will draw in wildebeest searching for fresh grazing.
The lions are ready and waiting, and I’m in the perfect place to get my shots.
But the next morning, the trail is cold.
Austin: “I thought this might happen.
After the rain yesterday, these lions were so frisky, they were burning up energy, they
were so active.
And this morning, they’re gone.
There’s no sign of them at all.
I suspect that they’ve gone to hunt.
The females have gone to hunt, which means they might have stashed the cubs right here.
They probably stashed them there; they’ve gone to hunt.
I don’t think they’d take the cubs with.
I found no track at all until I came here.
Right over here, right through my old car tracks, where I’ve been riding on this track,
I’ve got a couple of prints, just very, very light prints in the mud.
And they’re leading off here, and it looks like only adults; no babies with.
Babies are definitely stashed out there.
You can see the claws there, pads over here, one good solid print here going that way.
See how they’ve gone off?
They’ve gone into the grass.
I suspect they’ve run off the plains, they’re gonna hunt.
What happens now?
I don’t know.
I’ve gotta try and find them or wait for them to come back to the cubs.”
The lionesses may just have gone ahead to meet the oncoming migration.
This could be the chance to get my shots of hunting lions.
But scavengers on the horizon suggest I’m too late.
Austin: “Let’s get a look at this.”
Austin: “You can always rely on the vultures to
bring you into where there’s some action.
I heard this last night.
I heard some squabbling.
I thought it was two hyena packs coming together, but I think there were lions here.
I see some footprints over here.
And they’ve come over here and they’ve put up a heck of a fight.
And somehow they’ve killed one of the young ones.
And I see the den looks deserted now.
I don’t see any sign of hyenas at all.
I suspect these hyenas have caught a fright now and they’ve moved on somewhere else.
Very interesting.”
That’s one less enemy for the lion cubs.
But there are plenty more out there.
The cooler weather means lions could be out hunting longer than usual.
I don’t want to waste a minute.
Searching the woodland connecting the plains to the marsh, something unusual catches my
eye.
Austin: “That’s incredible.
They’ve just killed this young giraffe.
I must have been seconds away, just seconds away.
The mother is just in the background walking around and around and around.
They’ve just nailed the little giraffe.
The mother giraffe is actually coming closer now.
She’s walking straight in.”
The calf was just a day or two old.
These were probably the first and last lions it ever saw.
Austin: “They seem satisfied now that this giraffe
is dead.
They’re just checking.
Now they’re going to open it up.
The softest parts is where they’re gonna go first.
But they’re not starving, these lions.
They’re not starving, so they’re taking their time.
There’s no, no panic over here.
They’re studying their surroundings, making sure everything’s clear.”
Austin: “Just gotta watch out.
If mother giraffe comes closer, they might just go for her.”
But their markings reveal they’re not my lions.
The faint rosettes on their flanks mean they’re still young.
Considering how close we are to the marsh, these could be last year’s cubs.
So I head back to the marsh to see if the cubs have emerged from hiding, or if the mothers
have returned.
The marsh is a Mecca for wildlife.
But it’s a dangerous oasis.
Austin: “Look at this.
A hyena.”
The lion’s archrivals haven’t abandoned the area completely.
Austin: “Obviously fat and full, eaten something,
lying down in the shade just keeping cool.
This is what I’m worried about.
Those cubs are somewhere in here, and if they start calling, if the parents haven’t come
back, and this hyena picks that up, this hyena will kill those cubs for sure.
Lions and hyenas, absolute enemies.”
I can’t help wondering if the hyena’s already got those cubs, so I’m keener than
ever to find them.
Austin: “There they are.
They’re back.
They’re back, I’m so glad.”
But they look anxious.
Austin: “Sooner or later, they’re gonna start
calling.
One is already heading into the marsh; this one’s scanning the whole horizon here.
The other one is just sitting down on the far side.
This is so great; they’re all back.
They’re right here where the hyena is.
The hyena is not far from here.”
Austin: “They’re right in the reeds now.
I’m losing track of them.
Every now and then I see a slight movement.
But I don’t know if they found the cubs.
I don’t know if the cubs are safe, if they’re there or not.
It’s getting dark now, it’s getting late.
I’m not going to see anything.
My best chance is to come back in the morning and see what’s developed.”
With a male lion and a fully-grown hyena on their patch, these are tense times for the
pride and my assignment.
Next morning, the marsh is alive with activity.
More and more zebras are pouring into the area.
They need to drink every day, so the marsh is the perfect place for the lions to set
up ambush.
But I’ve spent the night wondering whether my pride still has any cubs to feed.
Austin: “I’ve just seen some movement over here,
right in the, in the grass.
I think it may have been one of the females.
It’s very early in the morning, and it’s difficult to know if they’re moving or what
they’re doing.
Oh I see a cub.
I’m seeing a cub.
Oh there’s the cubs; the cubs are here.
I see already two cubs.
And more, they’re all here.
Oh there’s a kill.
They’ve made a kill.
There’s a zebra kill.
One, two, three, four.
The cubs are all okay.
There’s six cubs.
Look at the cub sitting right on top of it.
Let me get a bit closer.
That’s good news.
The cubs are okay.”
I’m elated to find them, but it’s important to gauge the mood of the lionesses.
It’s dangerous to mess with them when they’re on a kill.
Austin: “That’s as close as I want to get to these
guys.
I’m right on top of them.
I’ve just missed a kill.
I’ve just, just missed it again.
This is the problem – I can sit with these guys all day and if you just turn your back
once or you disappear for the evening because you can’t see them at night, they go and
kill straight away and I miss it.
I was here at the crack of dawn and they’d just done it.
Look at the cub looking straight at me.”
My plan to be here first thing in the morning was right.
But it looks like these cats are killing just before dawn.
Austin: “She’s gonna try and take it away into
the bush.
She’s gonna try and hide it a bit more.
It’s incredible, they’re very nervous.
They’re looking around all the time.
They’re totally aware that there could be other predators that would now move in and
try and get a hold of this carcass – especially hyenas.”
I know one thing – this is the perfect pride.
With plenty of mouths to feed, these lions will need to hunt again soon.
Austin: “Wasn’t that great?
That was fantastic.
Those cubs are fine.
First I thought if something happened to those cubs, I lose everything.
But their a hundred per cent, they’re in good hands.
Only pity is I didn’t actually get the kill.
Probably happened just a few hours before I got here.
You never know with lions.
Probably one little zebra came straddling down to the water, got nailed last night.
They’ve eaten well now and they’re probably gonna stay there for quite a while.
The best thing I can do is set myself up, get as comfortable as I can, and just wait
it out.”
With water in short supply up on the plains, it’s not long before thirsty animals arrive.
I know that, when a chance arises, the lions’ hunting instincts will kick in.
When the mothers start hiding their cubs in the reeds, I realize they sense an opportunity.
Austin: “They’ve positioned themselves in strategic
positions down there close to the water.
If something came down, if something came down to drink, they would be in a good position
to actually make a kill.”
The zebras haven’t noticed the big cats lying in wait, but the direction of their
approach is working against me.
Austin: “The zebras have come down here, they’ve
come to where the water is on this side, but the lion’s on this side and there’s pools
all over here.
There’s so many different places they can drink.
It’s like a hit and miss business, this, and if you’re waiting for it to happen,
it’s dicey.”
But waiting is the best option.
The lions won’t charge until their fleet-footed prey come within thirty metres.
Eventually one zebra strays from the herd.
This looks very promising, until the cubs’ impatience blows their cover.
And the hunters lose their advantage.
Austin: “They’re scattering.
Let’s get a bit closer in case there’s something happening.
Ah, they’re going in all directions.
The lion’s up, just standing.
Yeah no, it’s too late.”
The zebra make a clean getaway.
Austin: “That was close, wow I tell you.
You’ve just gotta be on the watch all the time.
Any animals coming down from the marsh where those lions are at the moment, got a chance
maybe it will happen, maybe something will happen.
Not easy to get.”
It’s a numbers game.
Fewer than one in three hunts are successful.
I’m going to need all the patience I can muster.
With the security of first light, I’m back with the pride.
Austin: “Just look at this.
They’ve devoured this entire zebra, the whole carcass.
Cubs have just moved off to the side.
Everybody’s got a little piece of something.
These two females are still working on it.
Just listen to them chew.
It looks like they’ve been feeding well throughout the night.
The cubs are just playful now.
All they did was play, a little piece of meat dragging around; they’re fighting over it.
I cannot believe how much meat they can devour.”
Cubs often get a raw deal, prevented from eating until the adults have had their fill.
This time, at least, there’s plenty of zebra to go around.
Austin: “It’s just wonderful to see that there’s
so much love and affection amongst these cats.
They’re all fat and full and they’re well.
Everything’s good.
The reality of it is that just two weeks, that’s all it would take, two weeks away
from starvation.
If they don’t kill again, feed again, it’s all over.”
Luckily, for these cubs, making kills is about to become a whole lot easier.
The wildebeest are coming.
Soon there’ll be prey everywhere.
But once again, they disappear.
It’s two days before I find the pride again, thanks to some old friends.
And they’ve made another kill.
Austin: “Look at this.
I found them.
Two females over there, one female here and all the cubs all together over here.”
It’s the first time the cubs have come so far from the marsh.
Austin: “They obviously made this kill in the night.
The females must have come up here, killed this wildebeest and then ate their full, went
back and collected the cubs and brought them all the way out here onto the plains.
That’s amazing.
I always just miss the kill; I’m just too late.
And I’m not having the luck of being able to photograph it.”
I need to photograph the hunt in daylight.
So my only chance is to be with these lions at dawn.
Now they’ve moved into more open territory, I’ve got a way of making that happen, but
it’s going to be risky.
Austin: “It’s getting to late evening now and
the lions are still dozing.
They’ve been dozing all day.
But that’s natural, because it’s been hot.
I think they’re gonna move at night, and they seem to prefer hunting by night.
So the best thing I can do is try and stay with them through the night, and that’s
not gonna be easy to do.
But it’s important to see what they’re up to and, more important, where they’re
gonna be tomorrow when I need to find them.
But to follow them at night, I’m gonna need some special equipment and I’ve got just
what I need.”
Austin: “These black lights enable me to use my
night vision camera.
And I’ve got this red gel taped over the lights.
It won’t affect the lions’ eyes.
They won’t even see this.
I’ve got a thermal camera and a night vision camera.
The combination of these two, I should be able to follow the lions and see exactly what
they’re up to at night.”
Without this kit, I wouldn’t be able to see more than a meter in front of me.
But a lion’s eyes are six times more sensitive than ours and they have excellent night vision,
which gives them a distinct advantage in the dark.
Now, I’ve just got to get back to where I left the pride before they disappear.
Austin: “It’s absolutely pitch black.
I can’t see a thing.
As far as I can recon, this is more or less where I left them this afternoon.
There’s only one thing to do, this is why I’ve got the thermal camera.
This is my best shot.
This will tell me if there’s anything warm out there.
Any movement.
I can see trees.
I can actually pick up, there they are.
I’ve got them.
That looks like them there.
It’s, yes, it’s difficult to judge on the screen just how far they are from me,
but they must be within a couple of, maybe about twenty or thirty metres.
And I can’t see them, can you believe that?
I’ll move close.
I’ll need the thermal image to guide me.
I mustn’t be fooled by this ‘cause it’s a wide lens, and I can get really close without
knowing it.”
And I’ve never put myself in this situation before, so I have no idea how the lions will
react to my car at night.
Austin: “I’ve been watching these guys for days
now.
I know exactly what they do in the day, which is not always that much.
But at night, who knows what happens at night.
Lions are much more active at night.
I see a whole group of lions together like this.
I see them clearly on the thermal.
And when looking up, it’s pitch black; I can’t see a thing.
Just imagine being stuck out here somehow, your car breaks down and you start walking.
You would never know.
You would walk right into this pride of lions.
That would be frightening.
Just don’t know what’s going on out here.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned with lions, it’s a waiting game.”
At least they’re on the move this time.
Austin: “It’s quite frightening.
You just don’t know what’s ahead of you.
You can’t see; it’s pitch black.
I’m relying entirely on this thermal to guide me and to stay with the lions.”
The thermal image gives a clear picture of just how protective the mothers are.
Austin: “One straight line.
Isn’t that incredible?
Female in front, cubs in between, another female at the back, making sure the cubs are
safe.
Here we go.
We’re right at the marsh, right at the edge of the marsh.
I still can’t see it; I have to look on the thermal.
It’s the only way.
Yeah, they’re gathering, Oh they’re gonna drink.
Oh, look at that.”
Austin: “I can see another white spec way out in
the marsh.
Not sure what that is.
There’s something else over there.”
Whatever it is, the lions have spotted it.
Austin: “Who knows what’s going to happen next.”
The white spec turns out to be another lion.
It’s the lone male.
This could be deadly for the cubs.
The lionesses’ only hope is to gang together.
There’s the third lioness.
Listen to that.
They won’t let him anywhere near those cubs.
But the male’s presence has the pride heading for cover.
Austin: “Something is happening.
Somebody’s moving.
Let’s see if I can get a bit closer.
They’re disappearing into the bush.
They’re moving into thick bush again.
This makes me nervous because I don’t know where I’m going.
I don’t want to drive into something.
I’m going very slow.
Heading inland again, they’re definitely heading inland.
I think they’re going to exactly where they were before.
I’m telling you, they’re going straight back to the carcass.
That’s incredible.
It means they came all this way, brought the cubs all this way to drink and now taking
them back to the carcass again.
That’s fantastic.
That’s it.
It looks like the carcass.
Yes, they’re on the carcass.
Man, I wish I could see.
They’re on the carcass, mother’s feeding again.
Yeah, they’re feeding.
They’re gonna settle down here for the night, I can see that.
Cubs are starting to play in the trees again.
They love climbing trees, these cubs.
You’d think they were leopards, the way they carry on.
Just stop over here.
I’ve got them.
I’ve got them here now.
I know they’re back at the carcass.
I can go and catch some sleep myself, maybe even eat something, and come find them in
the morning.
I’m sure they’ll be here; no question about it.”
They’ve got just a few scraps left.
These guys will hunt again at the first opportunity.
Austin: “Been a long night.
A lot of insects, a lot of cold air.”
Finally, all the pieces are in place.
There’s plenty of game, and I‘m in the perfect position with these expert hunters.
First light and my lion pride are in sight.
By sun up, they’ve moved down to the marsh to meet the migration head on.
Even the cubs seem interested.
But it’s the lionesses I’ve got to focus on.
There are potential targets everywhere, and the hunters are fanning out amongst the trees.
But it’s the experienced one-eyed female who seems to be in control, so I’m keeping
my eye on her.
Austin: “The lionesses are waiting there, this one’s
moved around the back.
They’re making a complete circle here.
She’s going to push them.
One way or the other they’re going to scatter.
There, here she goes.
There she goes, there she goes.
Oh, she’s sitting down, she’s sitting down”
That’s the first sign she’s committed to the hunt.
The wildebeest knows something’s wrong, but they don’t know what or where the danger’s
coming from.
Austin: “She’s watching.
She’s moving again, she’s moving forward.
She’s moving forward.”
I’ve got the stalk.
Austin: “Out through the window, not so good.
She’s moving forward.
I don’t want to move because I’m going to disturb her.
She’s stalking, she’s stopped again.
She’s just sitting now; she’s just watching.
She’s just watching, she’s keeping absolutely dead still.
It’s incredible.
She’s gone into freeze mode.
She’s so concentrated.
She’s focused on exactly what’s going on.
There’s a little group of wildebeest here that seem to be isolated.
They seem to be confused.
They don’t know which way to go.
I think the lionesses are right behind them, this one’s right here.
They’re actually trapped in the middle.
She’s moving again, she’s moving cautiously, she’s going really careful.
Somehow she’s waiting for a signal or one of them is waiting for a signal.
It’s all gonna happen at the same time.
There she goes.
There, they’re scattering!
The animals are scattering, they’re scattering!
I’ve got to get out!”
The chase, I can’t believe it!
Austin: “Oh man.
I can’t even see.
I’ve got so much dust.
There’s so much dust, you can’t believe it.
See if I can chance ??? Can’t see, can’t see.
Too much dust.
I see two females, two females have hit something.
It looks like they’ve hit a wildebeest.
They’ve hit the wildebeest, everything else has scattered.
See a lot of dust.
I’ll get every shot I can, turn the car a little bit.
There we go.
Got it, I’ve got it.
I’ve got them.
They’ve got a wildebeest.
They’ve got a wildebeest.
“
It’s the one-eyed lioness who’s made the hit, she’s suffocating the wildebeest.
Austin: “They’ve got it down.
They’re holding on.”
Oh man!
Austin: “This was perfectly planned, perfectly executed,
and they got their wildebeest.
It’s incredible.
They all pulled together and they all did it together.”
While the older lioness finishes off the kill, the younger female heads out to retrieve the
cubs.
Austin: “That’s fantastic.
Jeepers.
That’s the way of nature.
Hours and hours of nothing; ten seconds of mad chaos.”
Luckily, even in that slurry of action, I managed to get the shots I was after.
It’s tough to see an animal die, but I’m relieved for the lions.
Being born during the migration gives these cubs a great start and a good chance of survival.
Austin: “Everyone seems quite content right now,
not making too much effort to go and actually eat the carcass.
Resting up, resting up.
The cubs are restless.
They’re moving around.
They think, ‘Hey mum, when can we start eating?’
Look at this guy’s coming to have a look at the carcass.
Coming to have a look.
They’re not sure what to do with it.
Look at that.
He’s taking a little nip out of it.
Finally, they’re eating.
Two females together at one time.
The cubs are still holding back and one female’s still holding back.
These guys are climbing in.”
It won’t be long before they’re hungry again.
But there’s plenty of prey for them here now.
Once again, the pride made its kill in sight of the marsh.
Proof that the lionesses have chosen the perfect place to bring up their young.
Now they just need to teach the cubs to hunt like lions, rather than play like leopards.
Austin: “This assignment promised to be difficult
from the beginning, and it was.
But eventually I got my kill and a lot of good photographs to go with it.
But more importantly, I got to spend time with a unique group of lions and especially
the cubs, who I’m sure are all going to grow up to be big and strong and one day also
hunt these plains.”
I’m just in time.
The rains will soon make driving here impossible.
My stakeout was a success, and it’s time for me to leave the Serengeti to its ancient
rulers.
