Big Cat Diary

Jonathan Scott and Simon King follow the real life day-to-day activities of five families of lion, leopard and cheetah on location in Kenya's Masai Mara. Half-Tail the leopard and her cub deal with streams in spate and fail to catch any impala. Fundi the cheetah has 10-month-old cubs, who chase a fox and an aardwolf. Kidogo the cheetah has playful 12-week-old cubs. The lionesses of the Marsh pride put up with torrential rain and aggressive males.

What do the big cats do in the dead of night? Equipped with night-vision goggles and using special infra-red cameras, the Big Cat Diary team are able to unravel some of the answers as they move around the bush in complete darkness.

Kidogo the cheetah relaxes with her cubs and successfully hunts a gazelle. One of Kidogo's cubs traps its paw in some branches. Half-Tail the leopard stores her kill up one tree - and her cub falls out of another one. A lioness mates with three different males.

Simon King and Jonathan Scott have been tracking the big cats for four weeks. With every day the individual animals and their habits are becoming more familiar. Simon introduces us to Young Girl, Old One and the Outcast, all lionesses. The female leopard, Half Tail, and her surviving cub hunt, feed and play by day and night. Kidogo, the cheetah mother, must keep clear of the neighbouring lion pride as she seeks out food for her two young cubs.

Simon King and Jonathan Scott spend every daylight hour unravelling the character and habits of the big cats they have followed for the last five weeks. With the aid of infra-red light, they continue their vigil into the night. Half-Tail the leopard and her cub have become more mobile, both by day and by night. The Big pride of lions can also be elusive, but with so many young cubs in the group, the effort to track them down pays off. Fundi the cheetah and her cubs are in good shape.

The heavy rains disperse the prey on the Masai Mara; hungry lionesses and their cubs face uncertainty.