The lion crowned king of beasts.

But in this family the boys let the side down, living in their Shadows.

A family of Warthogs.

But here the girls call the shots.

They have stability, the Lions have chaos.

Who are the true kings and queens of the Plains?

For over 50 years, survival has captured spectacular images of the natural world.

Now we used the very best to bring you stories of animals as they could occur in the Wild.

Lion Rock proudly stands in a Sea of Grass.

This is home to the nkuru pride.

From her Vantage Point.

Scarface so called for her distinctive Fe tees can survey her domain.

She’s 12 years old, the oldest family member.

But in this family it’s not females that call the shots.

Her daughters, Tamu and carar are being followed by the brothers, two young males that Reign Over The Pride.

As is the way in L. in society the males follow the females, knowing that they will soon be in season, ready to take their self-appointed mating rights.

In Lion terms the deal is simple: males get mating rights and free access to the food that the females hunt.

In return, they give protection to the lionesses and their cubs.

At least that’s the theory.

Scarface announces: a get together.

Lions are very social, with females spending their whole lives together caring for the family.

Scarface spars her worn out old teeth.

Without her daughters she’d struggle to survive.

The trio are closely bonded and will all take care of one another’s Cubs.

Life will be good for them as long as the brothers hold up their end of the bargain and don’t let them down.

In addition to the two males and three females, there were eight Cubs, four boys and four girls.

They are dubbed the grandkids.

Not yet fully grown, they are almost as big as their parents, but definitely still young at heart.

The family lives in one of the richest corners of Africa, surrounded by big game in Kenya’s Kuru National Park.

They could have any prey species they want, but they have just one favorite: War Hogs.

She may not be the most beautiful lady on the Savannah, but this is one dedicated granny, in fact great granny.

This is her daughter, her grandaughter and now the fourth generation, all living Under One Roof, similar to the lion family.

Any females in these litters will stay on in the Family Residence to help raise future young close spawns have already been formed.

The females have been spending some time apart lately giving birth in privacy, but now that their hoglets are 3 weeks old, they join forces again and allow the babies to explore the outside world for the first time.

The hoglets want to investigate everything, but curiosity is a dangerous trait.

In the nkuru pride, the grandkids are being led on hunting practice.

Already the grandsons are behaving like their fathers and letting the females do all the work.

Scarface is head teacher.

They can’t rush.

They need to Pace themselves to avoid being spotted too early.

One hoglet short.

Life is over, Scarface.

The old female, needs to eat, but she allows her Offspring to eat first.

No such manners from the grandsons.

They barge their sisters out of the way and take over the tiny kill.

The little body won’t go far and the pride will soon be back for more.

Time and time again they pursue the tiny treats, especially near the fence that surrounds their Reserve.

Here the warthogs are trapped.

They are so specialist they even know how to hunt Subterranean warthogs.

It’s unusual for Lions to dig, but in this Pride, Scarface teaches the Cubs how it’s done.

The Adolescent Cubs draw out the excavation for the terrified hoglet below.

Such is life for the pigs of the Plains.

Grandma gathers together the survivors.

All predators eat warthogs.

That’s partly why they have such large and fast growing families to compensate for the losses.

However, there is more to Ws Hogs than meets the eye.

They work hard to stay alive.

Less than a month old, they are already learning how to stick up for themselves.

Warthogs have guts.

These three Ss had babies last last year.

The yearlings had to move out during the arrival of the latest litter, but now, as the hoglets grow, the females are welcomed back.

The males from this older litter now need to move on wogs.

A matriarchal mom calls the shots.

The females are in charge here, quite different from life in the Lion Pride.

It’s tough living in the shadow of lions, but it’s compensated for by the lush green landscape of the Nkuru National Park, 180 square kilm of Pig Paradise.

At its heart, Lake nkuru, a vast soda Lake supports huge flocks of flamingos and other bird life.

Amid the flocks, the young male warthogs find a great place to hang out.

Once they are weaned, they are forced to leave home and so form Bachelor parties.

Not the most masculine setting with all that pink plumage, but it’s where male warthogs get together.

In fact it’s a beauty parlor for the boys, though the lake itself is corrosive due to high salt levels.

It’s fed by clear spring water that keeps the banks lined with mud, cleaning the W Hog’s skin and acting as a sunscreen and insect repellent too.

Around the shore, BS of all ages sunbathe and graze.

The younger males gather to admire a veteran’s fine set of tusks.

These impressive weapons can reach 9 in in length.

But it’s not just male warthogs that enjoy these Lush Plaines, young Bachelor Lions Patrol in search of new territory.

Having left their pride in the north, they have moved South through the park Crossing lion borders as they look for a new home.

They are not traveling alone.

The two are brothers from the same litter, but they have joined forces with a slightly older male.

They have formed a coalition.

The only way these youngsters stand a Ch chance of getting females is if they work together and use their combined strength to take over a pride.

Close bonds have been formed between them.

This must constantly be reinforced.

Any in the armor could spell disaster when they are in battle.

Scarface and the nkuru pride are still some way off.

They have no idea that the Bachelors are heading their way.

But right now the Pride’s running into even bigger trouble.

Lions and Buffalo go heads ahead.

Buffalo are often considered the most dangerous animals in Africa.

In some areas, Buffalo make up a large proportion of a lion’s diet.

But for some reason the nkuru pride don’t hunt them.

In fact it’s sometimes seems the other way around.

The pride tries to stand their ground, but a herd of horned heavy weights would make anyone run.

Scarface gets left behind and bolts for safety.

How embarrassing to have to escape from your lunch.

Her position is precarious to say the least, only just Out Of Reach from the deadly horns.

Buffalo will kill Predators when they get the chance.

They are intelligent and persistent.

Even the sandpaper-like rough tongue can’t quite bring the line within reach.

Still best, keep your feet up only as the sun sets to the Buffalo.

Finally move off, leaving a very stiff old lioness to go in search of her family.

The Warthog family also has regular encounters with unfriendly Neighbors.

Jackals love nothing more than baby pig and persistently try to catch the Sounder off guard.

However, they are no match for an adult Warthog and grandma is quick to see the intertop off.

This is a cunning Predator that won’t easily give in quick Whitted.

It does its best to break up the family.

While Grandma pursues The Jackal, her daughter ushers the nearest hogas to the safety of the den.

But it’s not enough.

The wild dog grabs a baby, one of the challenges with having a big family is that you can’t be everywhere at once.

Back in the Nuru pride and the two brothers check in on the lionesses.

They can sense hormones that show that both daughters are in heat.

One Shadows Carie, the other Woo Tamu.

Cari’s playing hard to get far heavier and less agile.

It’s harder for the male to get up there, but she’s not going to get away that easily.

Tamu seems more obliging and allows herself to be pampered.

Still, Carly is not going to give in just yet, leaving the male out on a limb.

Tomu will mate every hour or so for the next few days.

It may not be long before the pride hears the patter of tiny pores.

The brother decides to have one more attempt at seduction and makes another pass at.

Carly looks like a definite no.

She’s not in the mood tonight.

Male Warthogs are more orderly when it comes to mating.

Once the daughters come into season, the finest BS from the Lakeside arrive to try and win her over.

It’s the younger of the mothers this time and a particularly dashing boar with impressive tusks will follow her for days to keep less deserving males away.

He Chomps his chat up lines on her doorstep, but he knows the rules.

This is a lady’s chamber and he must wait outside.

A challenger arrives and starts posturing.

The sutor clicks his teeth as a warning.

This S is taken.

The two males Circle each other, trying to assess who has the biggest tusks.

The newcomer is clearly smaller and in the warthog World size does matter.

So he backs down to avoid a fight.

He is so diligent that he spends all night sleeping above her Den, exposed to the freezing night air, but always ready to defend his honor.

He hears the object of his desire staring in her chamber and even after his allight vigil, he sweetly serenades her.

How could a girl resist?

She surrenders to her devoted sutor, but their romance is to be shortlived.

With so many females around, balls are arriving in droves.

This is where the W Hog’s distinguished features come into play.

The warts are actually built in body armor to protect their eyes during sparring.

It’s mostly posturing and a lot of hot air.

Theo know it’s better to try and torque it out rather than get into a serious fight.

Hogs will fight to the death.

It’s a dangerous time for the BS with only one thing on their minds.

Looking out for Predators comes low on their list of priorities, but messing with a mature water.

Hg is something any sane animal would think very carefully about.

She’s lucky.

It’s only a skin wound, but for a few weeks it will be hard to join the dots.

The Lions would do well to heed the leopard’s warning the.

They too want to cash in on the water Hog’s preoccupation.

Ki is a Warthog specialist.

She’s hunted these pigs for years, but even she can misjudge A’s razor sharp teeth.

Warthogs task self sharpen.

It’s cut clean through her muscle she can barely limp away.

A wound like this could easily cost Carly her life.

Other Pride members can help her.

Will she survive back at the Tranquility of the water hole, the only action being the slow motion wrestling of giraffes?

Once their breeding season is over, the male warthogs return to their usual Hangout to recuperate in the Sun, but this time they are being watched.

After her last disastrous encounter, the leopard seems to be eyeing up younger balls with smaller tusks.

Unlike clients, leopards work alone.

She’s such a master of camouflage and stealth that she goes undetected.

Even in the open grass.

She gets unbelievably close.

Amazingly, despite being feet away, she wasn’t able to grip the muscular pig.

One last try.

A pelican is a very rare catch for a leopard, but at least it doesn’t have tusks on the mud flats exposed by a receding Lake dust clouds Gather in the Searing heat.

Gradually the landscape is drying up.

It’s a difficult time for plant eaters and many of the antelope must move in search of Fr fresh grazing.

But the adaptable wol Hogs are well equipped to cope.

Their tough noses allow them to plow through the soil, exposing nutritious bulbs and Roots.

Patches of shade are in high demand.

Jackals know not to mess with hot Hogs.

The Jackal now have large pups.

They are bolder now, but so are the Hawklets, fed up with being hounded.

No one in this family is going to be intimidated, not even the babies the pack is sent packing.

They’ll need to make alternative plans for lunch.

The rains haven’t arrived, escalating a hot summer into a lethal drought.

Now the full extent of the Warthog survival skills become clear.

As antelop succumb to the lack of grass, the warthogs expand their largely vegetarian diet with meat and where other animals struggle to find fresh water, the Warthog family Ed their tusks to sink ball holes down to the water table.

There is.

Resourcefulness will provide for many of the other inhabitants of nkuru.

Not all of the water Hogs will make it, but thanks to them many other animals do.

Luckily for the survivors, the weather is changing.

The lifegiving Reigns quickly replenish the lake, much to the relief of its inhabitants.

There are few patches of shelter and some animals that really don’t like being caught out in the rain.

The Lush landscape is restored and starving warthogs make a pig of themselves on the fresh grass.

In fact, there is so much water now that the warthogs find themselves with some very large neighbors.

The Nakuru Buffalo will stand up to Lions.

But what about hippos?

The two species most commonly listed as Africa’s most deadly stand face to face time to get out of the way.

They are well matched in size, but little can compete with the Hippo’s 4ot mouth and 3ot tusks.

Rain brings changes for all the families of nkuru.

Lions are not big fans of getting wet.

Still the grandsons are young enough to make the most of it with a game of tag.

That’s not much of an umbrella like it, or not?

The rains a relief, and in the time of Plenty that follows, Tamu uses the fresh growth as cover to deliver a new litter of cubs.

She’ll keep the two tiny infants concealed between the boulders of lion rock until they are larger and less vulnerable to Predators.

Out on the Pl.

Her sister Carly, reveals that, despite her devastating injuries, she has survived the rain season.

However, she still limps badly and has only been able to last this long thanks to the support of the other females in the pride.

Now it’s up to Scarface and the other females to bring home the bacon.

She drops the Piglet and goes for another.

The first was a gift to her daughter: an easy meal to keep her going.

With these handouts, her chances of recovery are good.

It seems that the pride is on a winning streak, growing from day to day.

But just a few miles to the north trouble is brewing.

As Sun breaks on a misty morning, a dark cloud looms over Lion Rock.

There’s an air of anticipation.

The three Bachelor males are around 5 years old, just coming into their Prime and ready to take over Pride.

A gentle breeze carries the smell of danger to Lion Rock and the pride males.

The brothers are quick to respond, but it’s going to take more than roaring to stop the advancing troop.

The sight of the three Intruders stops the brothers dead in their tracks.

Can they protect their pride?

The invading lion Bachelors show no sign of stopping.

The trio make for an intimidating sight.

The Pride Brothers show their true colors, they turn to run, they will never be seen by the Nuru Pride again.

It’s not a bad decision on their part.

Three against two is a fight they can’t win and lions will kill to take over the throne, but it leaves the female males alone and unguarded.

Under the cover of Darkness they strike as the newcomers Proclaim their victory over Lion Rock.

The rest of the pride faces an uncertain future.

Tamu looks for a hiding place for her Cubs, but it’s too little too late.

She is powerless to stop that destruction.

In just one night the nkuru pride is transformed, the Cubs are dead, the four grandsons have run for their lives and now the seven remaining females anxiously await their fate.

The 2-year-old females have never met new males.

They are curious yet scared at the same time.

The irony is that the males are now in the same boat.

Female lions mature faster than males and now both are reaching adulthood.

Though they confidently conquered the pride, The Bachelors have never made it before and are not too sure what they should do next.

It looks like they may have to work on their chat up lines with lack of experience on both sides.

There is confusion all round and soon the sexual tension turns nasty, and this is where Coalition bonds are tested.

No lioness should come between mates, but the Bachelors get caught up in the moment.

Luckily, there is the voice of experience.

Scarface has lived through takeovers before.

She knows that it’s better to embrace the changes than to try to fight them.

It might be that this time they have males that will not turn Fredy cat at the first sign of trouble.

Meanwhile, the grandsons that fled the pride reunite on the North Shores of the lake.

There should be four of them, but as they flar over 20 km, they got separated.

Now they call without to Pride.

They’ll need to stick together.

Three arrive.

The fourth is still missing.

Unfortunately, these guttural Roars carry for miles and alert The Bachelors to their whereabouts.

The Bachelors are not yet done with their aggressive takeover.

They have followed the grandsons.

One Bachelor goes on ahead but confronted with three, the young males, he finds himself on the receiving end.

The remaining grandson is caught alone.

The Bachelor is considerably larger and the male will be lucky to escape with his life.

A brother comes to his rescue.

The distraction just giving him long enough to run for his life.

In panic, the grandsons scatter.

This fight’s Not Over.

The Bachelor calls in reinforcements.

The grandsons must get as far away as possible, but there is a boundary that none of them can avoid.

The park fence.

Cornered in the forest.

At the Park’s boundary there’s a standoff.

Two grandsons stand up to a bachelor, but he’s big enough to hold his ground.

There’s a brief stalemate, but Bachelor backup is on the way.

It’s a grave situation for the grandsons.

As another Bachelor catches up, the groups are split up.

This fights two on two, but the much smaller males are Keen to avoid the beating.

One of the grandsons has reached the fence but he’s trapped.

There’s nowhere to go.

This fence has an electric shock strong enough to repel a rhino, but it’s that will confront the bachelors.

Apparently satisfied with the expulsion, The Bachelors announced their Victory.

As they head back to Lion Rock Pride, life soon calms down.

Things have settled for the new look, Nkuru Pride.

The new males spend more time on the grassland and on the rocks, and the females willingly follow.

They are now in season and ready to mate.

The Bachelors are maturing into gentlemen and Tenderly get the females in the mood.

Even skullface killing the cub was a brutal act, but it had the desired results: bringing the females into season and giving them a chance to Father, offspring of Their Own.

By treating the females right, they now seem accepted as part of the family.

There’s one other thing.

The Bachelors have brought new feeding preferences.

Having been raised on the grasslands to the north, they are used to large Antelope prey and the young females seem willing to meet their needs.

It’s not great for the local wilderbeast and zebra, but there is another family that benefits from their loss: the warthogs.

With the Lions off their backs, the warthogs decide to make some Home Improvements.

Most of the babies have survived and are growing, so it’s time to expand.

Like the Young Lions, male hoglets will be expected to leave home and roam in Bachelor groups, but for now they can enjoy family life and it doesn’t get more fun than this: a relaxing mud bath.

W Hogs may not be classic Beauties, but it’s hard to deny their appeal: playful, determined and dedicated to Family Life.

Lions permitting outside of the reserve.

The future of the estranged grandson looks bleak, but help is at hand.

Wardens open a section of fence and drive him back in.

The rest of his brothers are waiting for him.

The four of them will likely spend the next few years together, staying well clear of the bachelors and other males, but they are now a coalition themselves and when the time comes, they too will work together and take over a pride.

And it seems that the rest of the Lions have finally sorted out their their act.

The Bachelor boys are holding up their end of the lion bargain and protecting the pride.

They now have airs to their Thrones.

All of the females have had Cubs, even Scarface.

Now, at 14 years old, these two tiny Cubs are likely to be her last.

She leave a legacy.

The future of lion Rock and the Nuru pride is in safe hands.