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Leadership

Episode 4 of 6

As tensions rise, it’s a dangerous time to be born. Old enemies cause trouble for the lions and baboons, while the hyenas make life hard for the jackals and the leopard cubs.

Kali and her followers may have escaped from the black-maned males, but they are still in danger and can’t run forever. Concealed in the short grass nearby is Tamu, a doe-eyed newborn gazelle fawn. He’s an easy meal for any predator, and hiding is his best defence, but will he escape the attention of jackals Shavu and Shaba?

But the jackals have their own problems. Their pups were evicted from their home by army ants, and they are on a mission to find them. If they do, they will have to find a new home for their family. All the while, Tamu keeps his head down watching who’s passing. Among the visitors is a procession of giraffe paying homage to one of their number, felled by the black-maned lions.

When Sefu and the hyenas find the giraffe carcass, they have no idea of the danger they are in. Soon the black-maned males return, but only the jackals seem unafraid. With Kali on the run, she and her followers are looking for somewhere to rest. Unfortunately for the baboons, they choose the very tree that Bakari is using as a lookout perch. The rest of the troop escape, but Bakari is trapped. As he waits it out, he is unaware of the danger his troop is in.

The leopard cubs are now competing for food. Their attempts to outwit each other ends in a dangerous encounter with Zalika. Among the tension, there is comedy too as Aiysha’s cubs try to hunt a warthog family. They may seem like easy prey, but the cubs soon learn that warthogs have a few comic tricks of their own to ensure they survive.

As the story reaches its climax, Sefu finds Kali with the aim of reuniting the pride. But when the black-maned males make a fateful appearance, will he get the chance?

Storyteller Lupita Nyong'o
Created & Produced by Simon Fuller
Directed & Produced by John Downer

Available now

58 minutes

Audio described

Credits

Role Contributor
Narrator Lupita Nyong'o
Photographer Warren Samuels
Photographer Matthew Goodman
Photographer Richard Jones
Photographer Luke Gent
Editor Stuart Napier
Editor Imogen Pollard
Music Will Gregory
Producer Gabriella Russell
Producer Philip Dalton
Executive Producer Simon Fuller
Executive Producer John Downer

Broadcasts

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How we made Serengeti

The process of bringing the dramatised Natural History series to the screen.