As a recapitulation of Big Cat Week 2004 and,
The Big Cat People Podcast, Series II: Big Cat Diary Uncut
Episode 6– "2004: The Ridge Pride – Sala and Cheza, and Bella and Chui"
Date of Release: 14 June 2023
Cheza and Sala – the crux of the series
Photo Credit: BBC
The first series of Big Cat Week [first series in terms of acquiring a new format of presentation and broadcast, as well as being re-branded in a new name; not in terms of having a real notion of initiation as attained in 1996], had gone down a storm. The audience approval ratings went through the roof; everyone was talking about the show and wanted more. Stripping the series across a single week had really worked and it seemed an obvious decision to do it again ... (Scott, Stars 105)
IT SHOULD be said, after one year of yearning waiting, the Big Cat team was dying to know what happened to the feline friends. Jonathan Scott introduces: "6:00 am in Kenya's Maasai Mara. And the Big Cat team are getting ready for action. The spotters are out. The radios are crackling into line. And, the cameras are about to roll" — an exciting journey of crisscrossing the Mara during the next few weeks. The last series was full of events for the cats. Bibi was having trouble raising her two cubs without support from her pride, Kike the cheetah was looking after her three nine-month-old cubs. Almost on the verge of being independent, they seemed to have passed through all the lurking dangers of the cradling stage. And, Bella the leopard too was on top form in keeping her two three-month-old cubs well and healthy. It was time to catch up with them again. But, for the first time in the history of Big Cat, the crew would not be featuring the Marsh Pride of lions. Last year proved to be a disruption in the family. Simba, the old male had been chased away and the pride was going through a transition that is endured by every lion pride at times. Similar to the situation that happened in 2000 in the case of the Marsh lions.
Cheza with the Ridge Pride adults
Photo Credit: Fredrico Veronesi
"But Simon and our producers had done their homework, identifying the Ridge Pride as the best group to concentrate on. There were two fine-looking pride males, at least four adult females and four feisty adolescents" (Scott, Stars 111), but the key characters were two male cubs from the pride — tiny two-month-old Sala, and his ally Cheza, nearly a five-month-old bigger cub. It is not quite unusual in pride to have least survivors in a litter or, as a whole; the most notable and iconic thing was Cheza and Sala, despite being born to different parents, were absolutely inseparable. Both of them might have as many as three to four siblings on each one's side but they remained as the only survivors among their littermates. Their bond as a microcosmic duo of male lions was the real centre of attraction in this series of Big Cat Week.
One of the old generation females of the Ridge Pride
Photo Credit: BBC
In Programme 1 of this series, Simon caught up the Ridge Pride in a brewing familial tussle. One of the young females was in oestrus and both the big males were interested in mating. It was quite surprising to watch both Cheza and Sala interacting playfully with the lioness and, the males displaying the least irritation in their presence amidst the courtship. Just one of the graphical illustrations of how besides their mothers the cubs' well-being matters to the pride males too. The Ridge Pride of lions were no stranger to Big Cat. They were first featured in the third series of the show in 2000, presenting Solo, the cuddly two-month-old cub as the star. Just like Sala, Solo too was a single survivor and later on in 2002, Solo proved himself to be a promising adolescent along with his slightly elder chump on his side. Nobody knew where he actually moved on. It would be interesting to have close speculation on Cheza and Sala's predicament as an inseparable duo – the television's very own "Odd Couple", as often referred to by Simon. The focus of the Big Cat was getting much individualised than ever, laying down the concentration on the survival of singular characters rather than the whole. Having a bigger cousin on his side might be a great advantage for Sala to have some rough bits of gambolling and play-fighting but as Simon says in the series, "... the bigger cub is tougher, bolder. And, can afford to push his lucks. It's going to be very easy for the little cub to follow the big guy straight into trouble."
Simon King with the Ridge Pride of lions
Photo Credit: BBC
The trouble was not far away. The Ridge Pride were fond of resting along with the islands of the bushes in the south of Rhino Ridge and one afternoon, as buffaloes were making their way to the spring, Cheza and Sala were straight into trouble. Bigger and more mobile, Cheza managed to get out of the macabre. Sala's mother stood her ground, giving some needed minutes for the cubs to move away. Sala managed to tuck himself in the rocks. "If he is caught in the open, he will be trampled, horned and crushed to death." Sala's mother eventually lost her nerve and fled. The next morning the crew came back. To the buffaloes, "you're only a good lion if you're a dead lion." Everyone was fearful about the cub's safety. Luckily to everyone's relief, Sala emerged from the rocks and eventually was reintegrated with his mother and Cheza. Towards the end of the series as seen in Programme 5, Sala joined the rest of the pride, firmly assembled in the heart of their territory. As the pride started to roar to proclaim their presence, Sala too started to make a few squeaking sounds. Simon cherished the moment of 'mini roars': "You've got to start somewhere."
Cheza and Sala on the track, chased by buffaloes
Photo Credit: BBC
While the duo of "Odd Couple" was seemingly doing well, the lion crew shifted their attention to four adolescents of the pride, who were living as a splinter group and at one point, one of the females caused much tension to everyone after having a nasty blow from a spitting cobra though her eye was not seriously inflicted. Adolescent lions can afford to push their luck to the extreme and sometimes, their inexperience turns out to be much palpable. In Programme 3, a dramatic event took place. Four adolescents, of which there were three females and a male, failed to make a kill and, tried to snatch the kill from two older lionesses. It was easy for the older females to overthrow the young bunch from the kill but soon after, the table was turned. Two adult females from the Ridge Pride joined the massacre and, teamed up with the adolescents. The duo of invading females was soon segregated. And, the Ridge Pride youngers, backed up by two older relatives, easily took on the cornered outsider. As it was expected to happen, the outsider received nasty blows from the splinter group and was left alone. It was a pity to watch her in a torn and battered condition. She was barely able to walk after having all the blows in a row. Simon commented on the predicament of this elderly lioness in the end:
Although things have turned out well for most of our lions, there has been one sad exception. Yesterday there we saw a terrible fight between our Ridge Pride adolescents and a lone lioness that we've not seen before. She took one heck of a beating. It was a real right of passage for the victorious adolescents, but what price to the old girl? [...] She has a broken tail, she has a fresh wound on the top of her back leg and the strangest limp.
Prompting her to shadow the very same lions who had beaten her up just a while earlier.
The Ridge Pride males – fathers of Cheza and Sala
Photo Credit: BBC
Cheza and Sala after six months of the ending of the series
Photo Credit: BBC
However, six months later, Cheza and Sala's progress was followed up and featured in a special broadcast of Big Cat Diary: Family Histories. Much change happened within the time frame. Sala and Cheza were now joined by nine five-month-old cubs, making them no longer the only cubs of the pride. While Cheza had got his new role as "the king of the cubs," Sala "had a thing or two to teach them, lessons he learnt from Cheza," Simon commentated. The two pride males were in excellent condition and, they would eventually have to go on as the pride's protector so that the new generation of the cubs may survive. One sad event took place in March 2005. One of the younger cubs was seen crawling on his front legs, literally dragging the paralysed hind part of his body. It seemed that he was horned by a buffalo. The crew assumed it might have been caused by the pressurised congregation on a kill. Whatever the reason was, the cub did not survive. As the pride had other cubs to protect, they had to keep up going. At the end of the filming, Cheza, Sala and the other cubs were in quite a promising and thriving situation. It looked they were going to be fine in the days to come.
Above: Sala greeting one of the Ridge Pride males
Photo Credit: Jonathan and Angela Scott/ Stars of Big Cat Diary (2009), p. 112
Below: Cheza lying beside a pride male
Photo Credit: BBC
"And as for me, well, I hardly need to tell you how excited I am. Once again, I'm looking for cheetahs. In fact, one cheetah in particular." - Jonathan Scott was back on the trails of his old friends. The last time he was Kike the cheetah in April 2004. At that time, her three well-grown cubs were still along with her. But as the filming of the series began, Kike turned up on the scene alone – care-free, without three extra mouths to feed. It was really nice to see Kike in such good health. But, the crew was reasonably concerned with her three cubs who were about twenty-month-old at that point. While scratching the plains, the crew bumped into three adolescents cheetahs. Unmistakably, they were Kike's cubs. It was a great sigh of relief to find these cubs once again. So far, Kike turned out to be a mother four times but, not even a single cub survived before these three youngsters. So, their story had to be a matter of intense concentration for Big Cat Week.
Kike with her three cubs in the Rhino Ridge area
Photo Credit: Jonathan and Angela Scott/ Big Cat Diary Cheetah (2005), p. 117
In the dense riverine thickets, one of the female cubs eventually got a thorn stuck in her nostril and failed to get rid of that repeatedly. Her brother and sister tried to relieve her pain by hitting and slapping the branch with their paws and, licking the blood from her wound. Ultimately, after gruesome harassment, the thorn jerked free, and the young female got rid of the pain. Jonathan, heaving a sigh of relief, said: "She's free! Stressful? These cheetahs... I mean this is a nightmare. Forget being apparent, I felt I'm totally responsible for these kids life! Kike, I'm looking after your brood here." Though they had been on their own without their mother Kike for the last three months or so, they still seemed to be a little bit nervous when it came to hunting down prey. In fact, after several failed attempts, they finally managed to grab a male Thompson's gazelle:
I'm standing in the camera door of my vehicle, slightly manic, watching as Kike's three adolescent offspring – two females and a male – launch themselves from their resting place among a clump of bush out into the blistering midday heat. 'Go, go, go,' I urge. Their quarry is a party of four male Thompson's gazelles who have unwittingly grazed closer to the watching predators. The youngsters are hungry, ready to put everything into their chase. It is the two females who lead the charge up the hills as the Tommies race away, but there is escape as they zigzag across the landscape. I need to move closer: 'Chuck the tea out – to hell with that – wow, that is about the longest cheetah chase I have ever seen – that was ballistic' (Scott, Stars 105).
One of Kike's daughter
Photo Credit: BBC
But sadly as it happens to the predator-infested areas like Mara every time, the young female who hunted down the gazelle, managed to consume a meagre amount of meal out of that. Baboons soon muscled in and snatched the prey. While she was starving, her sister and brother seemed to satisfy their appetite and, they were less likely to consider a movement for hunting down once again. By the next day, the young female was absolutely starving. Jonathan was more concerned with her predicament. Even after putting forth yet another massive effort, she was not able to digest it. Firstly, she had to give up one hunting occasion due to the presence of a hyena close by and then, though she grabbed a male Thompson's gazelle quite easily, she was bound to throw up meats because of consuming much after two days of starving. The vultures gathered around the kill, signalling the other predators about the whereabouts of the kill. Jonathan captured the fate of owe:
I tell you, if I was a witch doctor and I was throwing the stones and looking for the signs, I wouldn't like what I was seeing. Thunderheads, vultures, and our female's got hungry yet again! And, I couldn't tell you why, but I can tell you one thing – I'm really, really worried.
United we stand: Three adolescents together
Photo Credit: BBC
The luck of the cheetah cubs turned out to be even worse. At one juncture, they decided to move away and reached the boundary of the reserve. Beyond the boundary, the patch of the ground is preoccupied with the Maasai herdsmen. While venturing out, they came to one blind point, almost assuring a collision from an adult lioness. Luckily, she was not interested in the young cheetahs and, they had got a very lucky break of the day. But, stepping outside the boundary is juggling with one's own future. If they try to grab a sheep or goat out of temptation, the herdsmen would not show any mercy to any predator that would intend an ambush on their livestock. A clear gambling on life it was! As seen in Programme 4, the penultimate episode of the series, the cubs were on the verge of the boundary and, there could be disruption at any moment. Jonathan commentated:
And I'm sure you're thinking, well, is there really a problem? Isn't this the animal the fastest thing on four legs? Yes they are, but sometimes a herdsman has packs of dogs with them. And you know what the dogs and cats are like – arch enemies. If a pack of dogs goes after these cheetahs, they would run and run and run. And if those cheetahs become exhausted, they would just tear them apart.
Kike's cubs in front of Jonathan Scott's vehicle
Photo Credit: BBC
One of the adolescents moved forward. To them, it was merely a trial. But a trial could also have deadly consequences. The next day, it turned out to be quite a proactive start for Jonathan and the cheetah crew. They set off to find out what happened to the cheetah cubs. To their relief, they found them heading back towards the reserve and eventually, after a bit more trials and errors, all three managed to grab a male impala, securing a great source of meal for them: "These guys are really hunters now. They've passed every test. Well done our cheetahs!"
Cheetah cubs grooming each other, removing the stains of blood from their kill
Photo Credit: BBC
While the crew was totally concerned with the pros and cons of the three cheetah cubs, their mother, Kike did not disappoint the team. She turned up on the scene times and again, showing her trademark gesture of climbing up on the vehicles, and eventually peeing and pooing from the roof hatch whenever the chance preferred. Kike proved to be a great photogenic bonus for the show, representing herself to an epitome of celebrity (though such proximity of cheetahs with the vehicles is not allowed in the Mara today). Alongside her friendly appearance, the crew spotted an adult male cheetah, pushing his luck in trying to hunt down wildebeest calves. He happened to be Kike's mate, the father of these cubs. With a notion of promise, contentment and the sprouting skills of the young cheetahs, Big Cat Week seemed to be special yet again. Perhaps, the crew would be soon catching up with these youngsters of Kike and, chart their progress. Despite at least two other options at the hand (to be discussed later), the crew's decision to stick on the story of Kike's cubs led them to a great turnover and:
Watching this piece of footage now [a hunting attempt by cheetah cubs in Programme 1], I ponder on its appropriateness: I know Angie thought I went over the top. If I was on my own or with her photographing the cats, I wouldn't utter a word, but at the time my response felt totally natural. Completely caught up in the moment, I really wanted the young cheetahs to succeed – my loyalties were to them and them alone (Scott, Stars 105; emphasis added).
The Familiar Proximity:
With no cubs tailing her, Kike was free to roam around and give such occasional glimpses of affinity
Photo Credit: Angela Scott
Last year in Big Cat Week, it took almost a day to track down a leopard and settle with it. This time, the scenario was changed. Bella's female cub, who was later named Nitito, happened to be missing for six months. It was presumed that she might have been killed by lions – a sad and common predicament to most of the leopard youngsters. But her male cub, Chui (a Swahili word for a leopard) survived, and reported to be doing well. In Programme 1 of this series, Saba is seen to catch up early with Chui. And of course, after a bit more surfacing, the leopard crew finally caught the glimpse of Bella too.
Motherly Tenderness: Bella's male cub Chui along the bank of Talek River in February 2004.
Photo Credit: Mark Wilson (above and below)
As mentioned by the cameraman, the members of the BBC filming crew were unsure at that point if the female cub was still alive and wanted to know if they had seen her.
It was wonderful to watch Chui as a moody adolescent, filled with all sorts of mischievous activities. Almost certainly, he became able enough to hunt down smaller prey like Thompson's gazelle, warthog piglets or bird for himself. But, his major appetite was still supplemented by Bella. While Chui could push his luck by gambolling amidst the fragmented herds of buffaloes or even in front of giant crocodiles, Bella had to be on top form for acquiring food for herself and Chui. In Programme 3, the outcome turned out to be fearsome.
Bella and Chui together in September 2004
Photo Credit: A. Thomas
Bella, after making a kill and stashing it up on the safety of a tree, reintegrated with Chui and led him to the kill. To their utter shock, they found themselves right on the patch of a resting group of lions and, immediately as Francis, one of the leopard spotters tracked down, the altercation was brewing. Saba exclaims and relates the moment in the series: "What I was worrying gonna happen, has happened" – Bella and Chui, both the leopards were chased off and treed by the group of lions and, they continued to make contact calls between them to gather reinforcement. Bella was so disturbed. Sure enough, with these lions around, she was not in a mood to come down and lead her son to the kill. Inexperienced, if Chui lost his nerve and decided to come down and flee, it could have been his end within a moment.
Chui was almost ready to strike out on his own
Photo Credit: Jonathan and Angela Scott (Above)/ Stars of Big Cat Diary (2009), p.114 and BBC (Below)
The next day, the leopard crew headed towards the spot where all the massacre took place, worrying all night long for Bella and Chui. Luckily, the lions had moved away, showing no more interest in the presence of the leopards. Bella led her son to the kill. Meanwhile, the crew received a report that a young female leopard was spotted nearby. Rushing forward to where she was, it turned out that she was Olive, Bella's eldest daughter who was born in 2000 and, briefly turned up on the scene in the third series of Big Cat Diary. Bella and Chui were seen together enjoying a freshly killed wildebeest.
Saba Douglas-Hamilton at the end of the series, feeling hopeful about Chui's progress
Photo Credit: BBC
Bella and Chui resting on a fig tree at the bank of Talek River
Photo Credit: Jonathan and Angela Scott/ Stars of Big Cat Diary (2009), p. 115
There was no chance for Bella to grab and take down an adult male wildebeest. It was either made by lions or stolen by lions from the hyenas. If the hyenas would have been the hunter, they would have surely devoured the kill on the spot. The problem with a lion's kill is that it is too heavy to take it up on a tree. Leopards seldom feed together. So, it was a blessing moment from Nature's end to have speculation like this – mother and son sharing the same kill. Bothering bustles from lions and hyenas are inevitable in a leopard's life in the Mara. It seemed that Chui would be doing fine in the days to come, after stepping out to live his life on his own. Whether the crew would be able to catch up with him, was another story.
Bella, the queen of the Talek and a committed mother
Photo Credit: BBC
References
Scott, Jonathan. Angela Scott. "Becoming Independent". Stars of Big Cat Diary. United Kingdom: Evan Mitchell Books, 2009. 102-119. Print.
Credits
Presented By
Simon King
Jonathan Scott
Saba Douglas-Hamilton
Photography
John Aitchison
Simon King
Hitesh Makan
Warren Samuels
Gavin Thurston
Simon Bell
Pete McCowen
Toby Strong
Sound
Andy Howley
Andy Milk
Editors
Nick Carline
Deborah Williams
Assistant Editors
Ivan Jones
Mellisa Warren
Online Editor
Tony Osborne
Music
David Poore
Dubbing Editor
Paul Davovan
Dubbing Mixer
Chris Domaille
Graphic Design
Burrel Durrant Hifle
Acknowledgement
Collin Welensky
Governors' Camp
Maasai Mara National Reserve
Narok County Council
Production Team
Nikki Andrews
Lisa Asch
Pete Blackwell
David Breed
Natasha Breed
Chris Brennan
Robert Chebusit
Willy Gitai
Ian Johnson
Jacob Lelesara
Sammy Munene
Samuel Ruto
Angela Scott
Wilson Wemali
Frances Sadera
Production Co-ordinators
Jenni Collie
Emma Jones
Production Manager
Lisanne O'Keefe
Producers
Colin Jackson
Lucy Meadows
Marguerite Smits van Oyen
Series Producer
Nigel Pope
Executive Producer
Sara Ford
A BBC/ Animal Planet Co-Production
No comments:
Post a Comment