♪ ♪
NARRATOR: Hell on Earth
for some.
But for others...
a land of opportunity.
Lions the size
of grizzly bears
with appetites to match
dominate this desert
      and turn the
desperation into profit.
    But this year drought
pushes the lions to the brink.
  Will this be the first
dry season to defeat them,
or will this hell
remain the domain
of these Kings of the Desert?
[bird wings flapping]
 NARRATOR: Lions are
Africa’s biggest cats,
and Kalahari Desert lions
are the biggest on earth.
  Here, in Nxai Pan, on
the fringes of the desert,
 a big male lion can
weigh over 500 pounds
 and measure 10 feet
from nose to tail tip.
   The power of a
pride usually rests
with one such dominant male.
       But Nxai Pan is
unique, and so are its lions.
This pride is ruled by not one,
but two mighty kings,
brothers in arms.
[lioness roaring]
  Six lionesses form
their principal pride,
  a small pride
compared to most.
But only the fittest and biggest
are needed to rule
this harsh land --
all 800 square miles of it.
But this power comes at a cost.
       The pride is
isolated from other lions,
         and this
threatens their bloodline.
  There’s a natural
but unusual solution.
To prevent inbreeding, the kings
have formed a secondary pride
         with two
powerful foreign sisters.
    They must provide the
kings with pedigree heirs soon
    or be expelled
from the pride lands.
    These mistresses keep to
the outskirts of the territory,
away from the principal pride,
 never crossing their path.
  As long as they
keep their distance,
the two groups can coexist.
      Together, these 10
lions dominate this empire...
[lion roaring]
    ...and everyone
must pull their weight,
because big lions need big prey.
 But hunting giants isn’t easy
-- even for the king of beasts.
After the rains last summer,
  Nxai Pan was a
wilderness utopia.
But not anymore.
   Now, the water
has mostly vanished.
Lush grasses shriveled.
The earth is scorched
and fractured.
This is all that remains.
  Surviving this annual
dry season is tough enough
for the animals that live here,
   and this year, the
most devastating drought
in nearly half a century
 is ravaging the land.
     But it could be the
lions’ biggest windfall ever.
For in times like this, even the
biggest and strongest animals
are under stress
and on the menu.
 Thirsty animals congregate
at the shrinking waterholes.
So many species,
all part of the pride’s diet.
   The lions have only to
position themselves nearby,
wait,
and consider their options.
[elephant cries]
[fly buzzing]
  As the afternoon fades,
the principal pride gathers,
watching,
waiting.
♪ ♪
Their mission is to divide,
create chaos,
  and, in the confusion, an
opportunity just might arise.
[elephant cry]
 Two miles out, a
pair of stragglers
      is trying to
catch up with the herd.
But they’re not alone.
  The mistress sisters
are hot on their trail.
      The elephant mother
hurries her newborn calf along.
 He’s only hours
old, and usually,
the herd wouldn’t leave them.
But the heat, and their daily
thirst, has driven them ahead,
   leaving mother
and calf far behind.
   Safety is in numbers
out here, even for giants.
  But they can go only as fast
as the calf’s failing back leg.
  It’s a weakness that
could cost him his life.
  Desert lions don’t
survive by being kind.
Three tons of potential maternal
rage would intimidate most.
      But the mistress
sisters don’t spook easily.
They know there’s a weakness,
         and they’re
confident they can exploit it.
     They’re just
waiting for nightfall.
♪ ♪
Elephant eyesight is average
 at best, just good enough
    to keep an eye on the
lurking predators in daylight.
       Lions have
excellent night vision,
allowing them to
get even closer.
♪ ♪
♪ ♪
[elephant screaming]
♪ ♪
  In the confusion, the calf
is separated from his mother.
       Exactly what the
sisters have been waiting for.
[elephant screaming]
[lionesses growling]
   NARRATOR:
As dawn breaks,
      the scattered
elephant herd regroups...
     without their
youngest family member.
♪ ♪
  The principal pride had
no luck with the main herd.
    But the mistresses’
power and patience paid off.
One king gets wind
 of their success
and tracks them down.
  It’s a small prize
for a lion this size,
but every morsel counts.
     Hours later, the
scraps are a free-for-all.
Nothing goes to waste here.
         Even the
principal pride scavenges
once the mistresses move on.
Never turn down a snack,
   even if you’ve got
eyes on a bigger prize.
♪ ♪
  There’s been no
rain in half a year.
The green kingdom has vanished.
 With it, almost
all surface water.
All but this waterhole.
And it’s shrinking by the day.
  Only overcrowding
and despair lie ahead
   for the tiniest birds to
earth’s greatest land mammals.
♪ ♪
[elephants screaming]
Tempers flare in the heat.
♪ ♪
[snarling]
[elephant screaming]
 The heavyweights use size
to bully their way through,
others, their wit
-- to steal a sip.
With no other waterholes left,
all are drawn here.
♪ ♪
  The natural balance
of Nxai Pan is shifting
in favor of the lions.
♪ ♪
As the only apex predators here,
the waterhole belongs to them,
  all their prey in
one convenient place.
♪ ♪
  The six females spread
out -- testing the herds.
♪ ♪
♪ ♪
 The heat drains
them quickly here.
    But it takes an even
heavier toll on their prey.
       The waterhole is
surrounded by so many animals
so desperate for water.
     Opportunity must
come the lions’ way soon,
surely.
♪ ♪
They must be patient;
choose their targets wisely;
know when to step back
and wait,
for the right opportunity
   will present itself.
     While the principal
pride rests up in the thickets
away from the waterhole,
   it’s a good time for the
sisters to drop in for a drink
and spend some quality
time with their kings.
The sisters must produce cubs
 to justify their place here,
or they’ll be forced to leave.
[lion growling]
 Breeding during drought
is not an option for most.
But the lions are still strong.
    It’s others that are
gambling just to stay alive.
These giraffes aren’t brave,
just desperately thirsty --
 enough to drink only
feet from the sisters,
    a gap the lions can
close in less than a second.
♪ ♪
♪ ♪
A 3,000-pound, 19-foot-tall
  giraffe is a tall order.
 But the sisters count
on the combined strength
of their kings.
  Giraffe usually make up
less than 1% of lions’ diets
because they’re dangerous
  and difficult to hunt,
even for a large pride.
   But the kings and their
mistresses are big and tough,
and waiting for nightfall has
 worked well for them so far.
♪ ♪
      A claw to the
hamstring finds its mark,
yet the giraffe keeps running.
The hunt isn’t over yet.
      Brute strength
and the cover of darkness
  has earned the lions their
first big meal of the drought.
Thousands of pounds of giraffe
   is the perfect meal
for a grizzly-sized lion.
For the mistress sisters,
   it couldn’t have
come at a better time.
    Pride structure,
and predator hierarchy,
 dictates feeding
shifts over days.
By the morning of day
two, not much is left,
  and some are tired
of waiting their turn.
[whining and whimpering]
But their place in the pecking
order is quickly established.
[yelping]
[snarling]
 There are other big
cats around Nxai Pan,
but they’re struggling.
 Cheetahs are smaller
and weaker than lions.
They also eat less.
  But when it comes to food,
lions see them as competition.
 So she’s forced
to stay out here,
       away from the
privilege of the waterhole.
♪ ♪
She has a family to feed:
cubs, too young to hunt.
Providing food is her job alone.
Out here, prey is scarce;
        there’s no
waterhole to attract them.
It’s so barren, there’s little
 cover for hunted or hunter.
♪ ♪
♪ ♪
Her speed is not enough.
  The family will
go hungry for today.
 This lion-enforced exile will
last as long as the dry season.
If the rains are late,
        there’s no
guarantee they’ll survive.
More herbivores flock to
the waterhole every day.
They’re coming from
  further afield,
and staying longer.
  Lesser carnivores, like
jackals and vultures, prowl,
  always on the lookout
for something to scavenge.
   But theirs is
the only free pass.
As the drought intensifies,
   no other hunters, like
hyenas, are permitted here.
   So they steal
through like ghosts.
Stopping isn’t worth the risk.
But some don’t get out in time.
 These wild dogs, looking for
water, overstay their welcome,
and it’s cost them dearly.
   Coming into contact with
the lions means serious injury
or death.
     The mistress
sisters strike again:
There’s no room for competition.
This last waterhole
is their lifeline --
     and they must
defend it at all costs.
But there’s more to it.
 Wild dogs will kill lion
cubs, given half a chance.
   And the sisters
aren’t taking chances,
for one of them is pregnant.
Daytime temperatures soar.
The main pride looks listless.
 But in spite of
the blazing heat,
they never lose sight
     of the game
and their big game prey.
♪ ♪
♪ ♪
But visibility is a
lion’s worst enemy.
      During the day
their heavyweight targets
can see them coming a mile away.
   But that doesn’t
stop them from trying.
   A kudu bull is
one of the biggest,
most difficult antelope to hunt.
They’re taller and
100 pounds heavier
than the biggest male lion;
double the weight of lionesses.
And they’re armed with deadly
horns up to five feet long --
the length of a lion’s body.
♪ ♪
A slip saves the kudu --
       this time.
There’s just no sneaking
up on prey in daylight.
 Hunting by night is
much more productive.
Ambushed just before sunrise,
      this kudu bull
couldn’t see them coming.
It’s a meal big enough to
feed the pride for a week.
But lions this size want more.
And it’s in their
nature to exploit
every opportunity.
♪ ♪
  It’s less than an
hour since breakfast,
   but a principal pride
female spots an opportunity,
one she can’t resist.
♪ ♪
There’s no way to stay hidden,
so she’s trying out new tactics.
♪ ♪
   As water evaporates, and
levels drop, animals must dip
their heads into the trenches to
reach it, blocking their view.
She waits for the perfect moment
 when the big male kudu’s
eyes drop below the banks.
The kudu is relying
only on hearing now.
[kudu crying; lioness growling]
[scuffling]
     An expert bite
delivers death quickly.
        She’s banked
another meal for her pride,
no small feat for
a single lioness.
Her new strategy works.
       A jackal on the
lookout is already moving in.
[lioness snarls; jackal yelps]
But he’ll have to wait.
     The lioness
guards her fresh kill.
      During drought,
there’s no time for charity.
It’s not selfishness or gluttony
-- just simple survival.
The rest of the pride
    has abandoned
their breakfast carcass.
They’ve eaten their fill.
    It’s too hot to
eat, too hot to defend.
 The deserted carcass is
soon heaving with looters,
    and the spoils
turn into a turf war.
[animals snarling]
 For the scavengers, this
is their biggest windfall
of the drought.
      NARRATOR: Building
clouds bring a sliver of hope,
but race past.
There’s no relief
    for the scorched
earth and animals today.
     While the lions
benefit from this drought,
   it’s breaking point for
everyone else that lives here.
There’s no food.
      The waterhole is
reduced to pools of sludge.
The rains are long overdue.
 There’s no guarantee
they’ll arrive at all.
But it’s okay for the lions.
    They drink daily
when water is available,
but they can also survive
   on just the moisture
they get from their prey.
The uncertainty of rain isn’t
threatening their future here.
  It’s the lack of fresh
new blood in their family.
But that’s all about to change
  with the birth of
two new desert kings.
But the pride isn’t home free.
The cubs’ chances of
survival are slim --
   only one in five
make it to adulthood.
 They need their father’s
strength and protection.
[lioness roaring]
Their mother calls out.
[lioness whuffing]
The cubs must meet their family.
♪ ♪
♪ ♪
[lion grunts]
[cubs mewl]
[lion snarls]
[lion snarls]
He’s gruff -- but approving.
♪ ♪
 Raising them in this
hell will not be easy.
But their aunt will help,
and in time she, too,
     will hopefully give
birth to her own set of cubs.
The mistresses and their
new cubs are now assured
   of the kings’
continued protection
 and a guaranteed
share of territory
alongside the principal pride.
[cubs squawking]
      But the desert lion
bloodline remains under threat.
       Dominating the
waterhole sees them through
      these tough
months each dry season.
       But their big prey
lifeline is about to disappear.
 Unless this year’s
drought breaks soon,
 the last remaining sludge
pools will dry up completely
and all the animals
will leave the area.
The lions will have to leave
their home and follow them
or starve.
[thunder]
Storm clouds gather once again.
[rain falling]
 Nxai Pan is released from
the hellish grip of drought.
[lion growling]
The rains will soon wash away
the desperation of
all who live here.
♪ ♪
   The waterhole
becomes one of many.
Using their size and
strength to dominate
 even the biggest prey during
the worst drought in decades,
   the Desert Kings
have come full circle.
And for now, their legacy,
and home here, is secure.
