Narrator: This is the misfit.
A plucky teenager
with a troubled childhood.
From abandonment,
To injury
And rejection.
He's not only survived,
He's thrived.
But the next 48 hours will be
the most dangerous yet...
He must venture
into enemy territory...
(roars)
(growls)
...And face africa's
Fiercest predators.
The misfit battles
to feed his pride...
(growls)
Then, finally...
(roars)
...Comes of age.
(theme music playing)
(growls)
Family is everything for lions.
A pride lives and dies
by its strength in numbers.
The nsefu pride is no different.
The bonds they share
have meant they've prospered
And dominated here
on the banks
Of the luangwa river
in zambia.
The determined mothers and aunts
Who lead this family
have battled
To keep their youngsters safe.
But life hasn't been easy
for their youngest member,
Teenager, the misfit.
As the runt of the litter,
The misfit struggled to fit into
his boisterous family.
(squeaks)
Always last,
Always bullied...
His isolation led to near death.
Finally, he won the hearts
of his pride,
And formed a bond
with his older half-brother.
(growling)
A bond that has gone
from strength to strength.
While females stay
in their pride for life,
All male lions must
eventually leave their family
By around three years old.
That time has almost come
for the misfit and his brother,
They'll split from the pride
in a few months,
With each other for support.
They'll roam the savanna
for several years,
Until big enough
to take over a pride
And father cubs.
The bachelor years as nomads
will be tough,
And, if the misfit
is to survive,
He needs to perfect
His hunting skills now.
The teenager faces
a huge learning curve.
Not least because
the family has hit hard times.
The pride's former leaders,
two brothers, have gone.
Chief, the more dominant
of the two, was killed.
And notch was driven out
by roaming males.
Without their leaders,
the pride fragmented,
Leaving just six females
and three teenagers
To fend for themselves.
And now the prey
in their territory
On the east bank of the river
Has scattered due to
recent unseasonal rains.
The pride hasn't eaten for days.
They face a tough decision...
To leave the familiar territory
they know in search of food...
Or stay here,
and potentially starve.
Across the river
Could be the key
to their salvation.
South luangwa national park
Is 3,500 square miles
of wilderness
At the tail of
the great rift valley.
Home to africa's
most iconic wildlife.
(elephant trumpets)
From the heaviest mammal
on land...
To the strongest jaws in africa.
The battle to survive
here is intense.
(grunts)
Lions may be
top of the food chain,
But even they
are sometimes vulnerable...
(roars)
From protective giants...
And from their own kind.
(yawns)
The river is the barrier
to the misfit's future success.
On the opposite west bank,
prey is plentiful.
But it's enemy territory,
Controlled by three
battle-hardened brothers.
(roars)
The punks.
(roars)
They'd attack any
young male lion
That's not of their own lineage,
So the misfit and other
young members of the nsefu pride
Would be in mortal danger.
But hunger has made
the decision for them.
They'll have to run the gauntlet
of one of africa's
Most indiscriminate killers,
The nile crocodile.
Up to 2,000 pounds,
With a bite strength
Greater than any
living creature in africa.
Their jaws contain
sensory organs
That detect movement
in the water.
They've evolved to
efficiently slay anything
That strays into their path.
A young lion like the misfit
is an easy target.
The misfit's mother
leads the tentative group.
They quickly attract attention.
But they manage to cross
without incident.
The safety of the opposite bank
Gives short-lived relief.
(growls)
(roar echoing)
The roar echoing
along the river
Means that big male lions
are on the prowl.
The punks are surveying
their territory.
(roaring)
A lion's roar can be
louder than a jackhammer.
(roaring)
Mohawk, the toughest
of the brothers,
Uses it to advertise
his formidable presence,
And to intimidate rivals.
(growls)
These brothers have
ruled the west bank
Of the river
for the last two years,
Taking over two prides
in the area
As they've established
their territory.
They're fearless.
(roars)
(roar echoing)
The nsefu pride,
now also on the west bank,
Is right to look nervous.
The misfit sticks close
to his bigger brother.
Now in enemy territory,
They need to make a kill
And get out again
before the punks find them.
But one of the misfit's aunts
opts out of the hunting party.
Instead, she sets off alone,
heading north...
Directly towards the punks.
The rest of the pride,
including the misfit,
Sticks close to the river.
Their decision to cross
appears to pay off.
Impala, heading to drink.
It's October,
Peak of the dry season.
Thirsty herbivores
have no option but to make
The dangerous journey
to the river.
It's the only place left with
water in the 110 degree heat.
(squawking)
It's a gamble,
but the antelope know,
Over this open ground,
They should be able
to outrun the carnivores.
Impala are among
the great athletes
Of the animal kingdom,
Able to leap 10 feet high,
and 30 feet in distance.
The lions bide their time,
waiting for the right moment.
They can't afford to waste
precious energy
On fruitless chases
in this heat.
And they have
another reason to pause.
Hyenas.
The river clan.
Sniffing around
for an easy steal.
The muscular carnivores
are the pride's arch rivals,
The two species
Often come to blows over kills,
So the lions
don't want to hunt now
And risk losing their spoils.
The big cats may have
more muscle power
Pound for pound,
But hyenas have almost
twice the bite force of lions.
Hyena clans have been known
to kill cornered lone lions.
For now, the misfit
and his pride will wait,
Night may give them
the upper hand.
As darkness draws in...
(grumbles)
The hidden nocturnal world
reveals itself.
(hyena calling)
The cloak of night
gives the pride
An advantage over their prey.
Lions' vision has evolved
to make them masters
In darkness.
Their eyes contain
extra light sensitive rods,
Enabling them to see
in low light levels
Seven times better than humans.
(hyena calls in distance)
However, their night vision
Is only marginally better
than impalas',
But it's that narrow advantage
That the nsefu pride
hopes to exploit.
They wait for
the hyenas to leave,
Then head inland,
Tracking the impala herd
As it returns to the plains
to graze.
The impala lead them
further into enemy territory.
Hunger is giving them no option.
Given the chance, lions can eat
up to 18 pounds of meat a day.
But catching speedy prey
Like impala is hard for
inexperienced hunters
Like the misfit and his brother.
(animal screeches)
Once they start the chase,
The pride can only
keep up with the antelope
For very short bursts,
so surprise is vital.
The females spread out
in a pincer formation...
But the misfit's
inexperience shows.
(birds squawking)
His mistimed run
scares a slumbering giraffe...
And the panicked herd scatters.
(birds squawking)
The pride cannot afford
To waste time
in dangerous territory.
They try again.
This time the misfit
and his brother are kept back.
85% of hunts in prides
are carried out by females,
And it's clear
these lionesses are experts.
(roars)
An impala buck.
It's welcome food,
But not nearly enough
to feed nine hungry lions.
The blood-stained adults
Quickly devour
the choicest parts...
But with so little meat,
It soon becomes a tug of war.
The youngsters must
make do with scraps.
Only five minutes after
being brought down,
The 100-pound impala is gone.
The pride needs more food.
So the females head off again,
Leaving the oblivious misfit
with his siblings.
The stragglers are so busy
cleaning their blood soaked fur,
They don't see
the females leave.
It's only minutes before
the determined nsefu lionesses
Set their sights on
another impala herd.
(growling)
They dispatch
the target quickly.
(growls)
However,
After the excitement
of the hunt,
They soon realize
that the youngsters of the pride
Are nowhere to be seen.
The misfit and his siblings
are alone,
Deep in enemy territory.
(lion roaring)
6:00 a.M.
The lucky survivors of the night
Emerge from their hiding places.
(birds calling)
For the day shift,
It's breakfast time.
But not all have full bellies.
The hyena river clan
Is still looking
for an easy target.
A baby giraffe
Piques the interest
of a lone female.
The adult giraffes protect
the vulnerable calf,
Even from
unlikely threats like this.
The hyena won't go up against
a fully grown giraffe.
One well-placed kick
From a 18-foot bull
could kill her.
She moves on.
The scent of a carcass
Wafting along the beach
draws her further away
From her clan.
It's leading her
towards the misfit.
(birds squawking)
Still separated
from his mother and aunts,
The misfit and other youngsters
Have found their way
back to the river.
The remains of a hippo
Provide a desperately
needed meal.
But their hunger
couldn't have put them
In a more precarious situation.
Not only is the female hyena
Trying to muscle in
on the misfit's breakfast...
...Dozens of crocodiles
are closing in.
The teenagers will have to fight
to keep this food
From other hungry mouths.
(snarls)
(hyena whining)
The misfit's innate hatred
For hyenas
spurs him into action.
(hyena calling)
But he should know better
Than to let the hyena
distract him.
The crocodiles
see an opportunity for a steal,
And swamp the carcass.
The misfit wants his meal back,
But he's completely
out of his depth.
A mile inland,
The females are resting
from the heat of the day,
Completely unaware
that their youngest cub
Is in such danger.
Still missing from the group
is the misfit's aunt
Who set off alone shortly after
crossing the river.
She's been following
the calls of mohawk,
The fiercest of the punks.
But she's not planning
on fighting him.
She's going to hit him
With something
much more powerful.
Her feminine wiles.
Mohawk's urge to mate is strong,
And she's exploiting it
To her full advantage.
This grimace
isn't aggression from mohawk.
It's a flehmen response.
He's analyzing her pheromones
through a receptor
In the roof of his mouth.
And he likes what he smells.
The flirtatious aunt
signals she's willing to mate.
She's unlikely to have cubs,
Females are five times
less likely to have offspring
With males not known to them.
More probably,
the aunt is using mating
To distract the male
And minimize aggression
while her pride
Is busy hunting on his turf.
Mohawk has fallen for it,
hook, line and sinker.
Mating can happen
up to 50 times a day,
So it'll be some time
Before he continues his patrol.
As the day moves on,
The temperature soars.
It's 115 degrees.
At the river,
The misfit and his brother
Have managed to reclaim
the meager remains of the hippo.
Despite the afternoon's heat,
They take it in turns
to guard the carcass.
It's too hot to eat,
But they don't dare
leave the meal
To be stolen again.
The crocodiles retreat
to the respite of the water,
They're playing the long game,
Saving their energy
for the coming night.
The soft flesh of the
hippo is perfect
For the white-backed vultures,
Their grooved tongues help them
quickly swallow flesh.
They don't waste a morsel.
But the misfit
isn't ready to share.
The hyena is also
proving persistent,
Despite the misfit's
best efforts.
(squawking)
More worryingly...
(hyena calling)
...She's calling for
the rest of her clan.
The misfit and his brother
Might think
they've won this battle.
They have no idea what's coming.
(growls)
Downstream,
The rest of the river clan
have found their own way
To get relief from the heat.
Mud-bathing helps
regulate their temperature.
Where they don't have water,
They make their own damp bed
to cool down on.
(hyenas chittering)
Spotted hyenas
have acute hearing,
And can recognize
individual calls
From more than
6 miles away.
The cries are clear,
There's a clan member
summoning them
From somewhere upriver.
The determined group
makes a bee-line,
Straight towards the calls
and the oblivious misfit.
Nine hyenas
versus four inexperienced lions
Is going to be
a very unfair fight.
But inland,
The females of the nsefu pride
Have also been roused
by the hyenas' calls
They start
towards the commotion,
Knowing it will
lead them to a kill.
It's a race to get
to the misfit first.
By the carcass,
Tensions are rising.
The hippos are not happy
To have the youngsters
on the beach,
And the misfit's inexperience
around danger is clear.
The females up the pace,
They're half a mile away
and closing.
They must get to the youngsters
before the hyena clan.
(hippo calls)
(hippo calls)
As the second night
in enemy territory closes in,
The five females
make it to the beach first.
It's a welcome relief
for the misfit
And his embattled group.
The downside is the youngsters
now must share
The hippo remains.
Lions are opportunistic,
And can gorge
a quarter of their body weight
In one sitting.
But there's a hierarchy
at the dinner table.
The misfit waits for an opening,
As youngest
He'll be last to eat.
He's not the only one
Who wants a share of the food.
(growling)
This time the crocodiles
are not backing down.
(snarls)
(growls)
(roars)
Their sheer weight of numbers
Starts to overwhelm the pride.
And things are about
to get a lot worse.
(calling)
(calling)
The lone hyena's calls
have worked,
Her clan members arrive.
(hyenas chattering)
It's now eight lions
Versus nine hyenas
And dozens of crocodiles.
The adults decide this fight
isn't worth it,
And retreat to safer ground.
But the misfit isn't ready
to give up the meal,
He needs this food.
(growls)
(whining)
He tries to stand his ground,
Then his mother
steps in to help.
(growling)
But even she can't stand up
to this many hyenas.
(snarling)
She makes a break for it.
Now the misfit is alone.
The entire river clan sets
its sights on the youngster.
His mother steps back in.
This time the hyenas back away.
It's an incredibly lucky escape
for the misfit,
And a valuable lesson,
He's vulnerable alone.
The hyenas turn their attention
to the crocs,
Demonstrating exactly why they
shouldn't be underestimated.
While half the fearless clan
Distracts the crocodile
at the front,
The others sneak in behind
To steal the remains
of the carcass.
Reunited,
the nsefu pride retreats,
Battle worn and still hungry.
Mohawk and the misfit's aunt
Have been mating almost
non-stop for 18 hours now.
(growls)
(roars)
But she's had enough.
She's done
her distraction job well,
Mohawk has stayed away
from her pride.
It's time for her
to rejoin them.
She may have won this male over,
But in this territory
She's at risk from other lions.
It's an unemotional farewell.
(snorts)
Down river, and still
in enemy territory,
The nsefu pride
keeps close to each other.
Last night's battle with
the crocs and hyenas
Has left them bruised
and battered.
The misfit's wounds from
the pursuing hyenas
Show how close
he came to catastrophe.
It's a painful lesson to learn
For his upcoming independence.
When you don't have
a pride around you,
Sometimes retreat
is the best option.
There's no time to dwell.
They're still hungry.
A large herd of buffalo
wanders past,
Tantalizingly close.
Their favorite prey.
Weighing up to 1,800 pounds,
Just one could feed
the whole pride.
The buffalo herd is
hundreds-strong,
Heading inland after
drinking at the river.
They won't linger here long,
So the lions can't waste
an opportunity to bag one.
But this is going
to be a challenge.
Taking a buffalo down
is as dangerous as it gets.
Members of the herd
aggressively protect each other,
And could easily kill a lion.
If the horns don't get them,
Then stamping or kicking might.
For any hope of success,
The pride needs
good, strong hunters.
The timely return of the aunt
Might tip the balance
in their favor.
(growls)
They start their stalk.
(growls)
(lions growling)
Buffalo have
an excellent sense of smell,
And their keen eyesight
Means they can spot predators
over half a mile away,
So ambush is vital.
The pride avoids
the pathfinder buffalo,
This big, strong male
leads the herd,
Scanning for threats.
They're looking for a dagga boy,
An old and weak buffalo,
on the fringes of the herd.
If they can panic the group
and split a weaker one off,
They have a chance
of bringing it down.
The pride fans out,
positioning themselves
Within striking distance
of the stragglers.
(grunts)
spotted!
It's now or never.
(grunting)
Their tactics work.
They separate a dagga boy
from the herd.
And this time it's not a lioness
leading the charge,
It's the misfit.
(lion growls)
(chirping)
Finally, success.
The one-ton dagga boy
Will keep the pride
full for days.
This time the misfit
doesn't have to wait in line.
He's earned his place
at the table.
After the lessons he's learned
in the last two days,
The misfit's growing
into a tenacious lion.
The nsefu pride has overcome
its adversaries
And feasted like kings.
Now, after 48 hours on
the west bank of the river,
It's time get out
of enemy territory.
(grunts)
It's a newly confident misfit
Who makes his way back
across the dangerous river.
Head held high.
He's faced
some of the most
Difficult challenges
of his life.
It's been the making of him.
In a few months' time,
Along with his brother,
He'll be ready to leave
the protection of his family
And find his own way
in this vast wilderness.
But, for now,
He's enjoying being
a part of the family.
Not so much a misfit anymore.
(closing theme playing)
