Big Cats 24/7
Filmed in one of the most dynamic locations on the African continent, the vast Okavango Delta in Botswana, this fascinating wildlife documentary captures big cats battling to survive through dramatic changes within their families and their home. Lion, cheetah and leopard families are tracked across two extreme seasons, from dangerous floods through to punishing drought.
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Big Cats 24/7 on BBC Select
Episode 1: Seeking the Cheetah
A huge wildfire threatens both the big cats and the team trying to track the animals.
The team begins a six-month expedition tracking lions, leopards and cheetahs in the Okavango Delta. Wildlife photographer Gordon Buchanan follows one of the largest lion prides in Africa as they hunt to feed 28 hungry mouths, including tiny cubs. Anna Dimitriadis tracks down the cheetah, while local wildlife filmmaker Brad Bestelink reunites with his favourite leopardess, Xudum.
Episode 2: Big Toe and Madumo
Male lions fight intruders, while the leopards and cheetahs struggle to get a meal.
The team continues to follow the Okavango Delta’s lions, leopards and cheetahs. After a huge wildfire, Gordon Buchanan and Vianet Djenguet trail the lion pride’s dominant males, Big Toe and Madumo, as they reinstate their burnt-out boundaries and fight with intruders. Brad Bestelink follows Xudum the leopardess as she learns to hunt from trees, after the fire wipes out her cover.
Episode 3: Xudum the Leopard
A fight with intruders leaves the lions injured and the cubs vulnerable to attack.
Dominant male lions Big Toe and Madumo disappear after fighting intruders, leaving the family exposed. The team follow sub-adult males Colin and Ngkonne who are coming of age but are not yet big enough to challenge intruders. Greg Hartman tracks Xudum the leopard as she strays into dangerous territory looking for a mate. She must choose carefully, as a male leopard could kill her cubs.
Episode 4: Facing the Flood
The arrival of a flood to the delta, brings new, perilous challenges for the big cats.
The annual flood has finally arrived, bringing new challenges for the big cats. Wildlife filmmaker Gordon Buchanan follows the hungry lion mothers as they hunt buffalo, whilst the lion cubs learn to avoid this formidable prey. Anna Dimitriadis tracks Mushi, a skinny young cheetah struggling to catch food, while Brad Bestelink is sure Xudum the leopard is pregnant and looking for a den.
Episode 5: Baby Boom
Lioness Matho must protect her cubs alone, whilst leopard mum Xudum reveals her newborns.
The team witness a baby boom in the delta. Vianet Djenguet follows lioness Matho as she struggles to raise her cubs alone. Tristen Woodward and Brad Bestelink get a glimpse of Xudum the leopard’s newborn cubs, but dangerous male leopards loom nearby. And with competition growing from the enormous lion pride, Anna Dimitriadis tracks a cheetah mother to the very edge of the territory.
Episode 6: Lions Versus Crocodiles
Lion cub numbers continue to grow in the delta, but there’s not enough food to go around.
The team is coming to the end of its time in the Okavango Delta. Brad Bestelink witnesses Xudum the leopard fight to save her newborn cubs. Anna Dimitriadis finds a brave cheetah thriving in the heart of lion territory. And Vianet Djenguet tracks lioness mum Tsebe as she risks her life to feed her five cubs. As the lion pride continues to grow, could its success also be its downfall?
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