Stories of Africa Season 1, Episode 2: Cheetah: Race to Rule

Elephants in the Room

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...

Leopard Fight Club

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 ...

Hippo Ganglands

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.

The Real Lion Queen

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 ...

50 min