Stories of Africa

At a luxury lodge in Zambia something bizarre is happening; - a phenomenon that has the world's elephant experts stumped. Every year, tourists flock to witness an extraordinary event: Six wild elephants, led by a matriarch called Wonky Tusk, climb the stairs of the lodge and enter the foyer. The giants stroll past the reception desk and through the dining room. Their destination is a 100-year-old mango tree growing in the courtyard and the fruit that falls from its branches. This "check in" is accomplished without as much as bumping a tea-trolley or breaking a crystal...

Gunner is a young cheetah born into a cheetah coalition in Linyanti, Botswana. From the moment he opens his eyes the odds are stacked against him. He is the runt of the litter. Gunner's mother tries her best to tame and teach her growing cubs. His brothers take her no-nonsense cheetah boot camp seriously. Their survival depends on how quickly they can learn to hunt alone, and together. Out of the south another coalition of cheetahs emerges from the Savuti. Young, fit, and shameless, these three brothers declare their intention to take over the Linyanti at all costs. One dark night Gunner's impulses get the better of him; he sets out on his own and is ambushed by the Savuti clan. His brothers step in to defend him. It is a bloodbath. In the drawn-out battle, one of the brothers is killed. The other dies in an elephant stampede. As the sole survivor Gunner carries a new burden. His coalition is destroyed. Life becomes harder by the day and without support from his brothers, defending Linyanti grows more difficult. To gather his strength Gunner must feed. In an epic takedown Gunner kills a full-grown kudu female. Emboldened, he seeks out a female. Gunner rescues the Linyanti legacy and earns his territory. No longer a runt, he's a ruler.

Filmed over a period of 4 years, this is the remarkable story of a young leopard's journey from Rookie to Royalty as seen through the watchful eyes of an old sentry baboon. Baboons rate high on leopard's menu and as the official guardian of the troop; The Watcher can't afford to slack off. That's why this old baboon chooses high ground for his daily surveillance. From these elevated look-out posts, he watches the arrival of the Rookie leopard. His warning screeches echo in the valley and the troop scurries. The Watcher knows that the young leopard has only recently left the protection of his mother. Rookie still lacks the experience and the skill set that makes leopards such lethal predators. Every day is a struggle to gain stealth and rhythm. Lions and hyenas sense that the leopard is a vulnerable green-horn. As he hones his skills this hunter becomes the hunted. One particular feisty hyena stalks the young leopard. He is looking for a show-down. This is hyena territory and the Rookie is trespassing. In a face to face combat the odds between them, are even. For now. But the threat from these predators is the least of the Rookie's problems: A male leopard rules on the other side of a thin strip of no-man's land where he finds temporary refuge. He can smell him. It's an ominous scent with a clear message: Keep out or die. He can't survive on the periphery living off lizards, hares and leftovers. He needs access to larger, richer hunting grounds. And to do that, he must cross a boundary that leads him directly into the territories of the leopard monarch he should best avoid. The Rookie's invasion of this turf sets off a series of bloody cat fights where there can be only one winner. The young leopard sharpens his tactics. He bides his time. Fur is going to fly.

There's a gang war happening in the Luangwa Valley in Zambia, a battle among hippos for territory, dominance, mating rights, and survival. The reason? Dry season: a seven-month drought that forces over 30,000 hippos to the deepest part of the river to stay wet and cool. Follow these three-ton beasts as they fight lions, crocodiles, and other hippo gangs, struggling to stay alive until the next rainfall. Only then can they return to the lush paradise they once called home.

Filmmaker Herbert Bauer discovers the last remaining lioness of Liuwa in Zambia purely by chance when she steps out of myth and into his viewfinder. A remarkable bond develops between filmmaker and this lonely lioness that he calls Lady. Inspired by her resilience, African Parks and the Carnivore team at the Zambia Wildlife Authority decide to re-establish a viable pride in Liuwa. They build a shelter also known as a boma. They dart two males in a neighboring park and transport them to Lady's core territory. Lady considers both males but after a year, she's still not pregnant. To bolster the chances of establishing a pride, two young females are imported but their bond collapses when the males attack them once they're released from the enclosure. One bolts for the Angolan border, the other goes missing and is presumed dead when the scientists find her collar in a river. A helicopter rescue attempt is launched to find the other female before she crosses the Angolan border. Anxious to find females, the two male lions leave and walk to Angola in record time. Death waits for one of them in the form of an armed farmer. Of the five lions, now only three remain. The young female, now fully grown and in estrous finally mate with the male. Lady is excluded from this new romance but her involvement is vital. She can no longer produce a cub, but she can impart her survival skills. Unexpectedly, they hunt together. Lady steps into her leadership position with aplomb. The Kingdom is secured. Lions are back in Liuwa.