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The Template of the first series of Big Cat Tales Photo Credit: Animal Planet |
Trailer of Big Cat Tales 2017, Series 1
Credit: Untitled Film Works/ https://youtu.be/IuIHVhTK8Vk
Programme 1: Rebirth in the Mara
We're Jonathan and Angela Scott, the Big Cat People and, we've been following the lions, leopards and cheetahs of Maasai Mara for over forty years. They're not big cats to us – we know them as individuals. Alongside us, is our good friend Jackson Ole Looseyia. He has spent his life in the Mara and, these characters are as special to him as they are to us. Join us, as we draw back the curtain on the intimate story of their lives.
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Back on the Mission: Jonathan and Angela Scott along with Jackson Ole Looseyia during the first series of Big Cat Tales
Photo Credit: Abraham Joffe
– UNFOLDED JONATHAN SCOTT at the very outset of Big Cat Tales. In 2016, there happened to be two 30-minutes programmes on photographic projection and the journey of the photographers in search for great images around the world called Tales by Light, directed by Abraham Joffe from Untitled Film Works and released on Netflix. Joffe excitedly put forward the proposal to The Big Cat People of renovating the series on big cats. The BBC Natural History Unit last filmed Big Cat Live in October 2008 and ever since, no further progress on the chronicle of the Mara's great felines was developed. Now, it was down to Big Cat Tales to uphold the present-day boons and hardships of the renowned feline stars, some of whose past generations were followed in Big Cat Diary. "This is a gripping and important series by some of our best natural history storytellers," says Susanna Dinnage, Global President of Animal Planet, further adding, "I am thrilled to share the wonder of the lives of Africa's charismatic and magnificent big cats with our audience around the world. We welcome Jonathan, Angela and Jackson back to Animal Planet with open arms."
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Charm and her cubs at the base of Dave's Tree Photo Credit: Jonathan and Angela Scott |
There is really something special about living a life amidst the big cats, and the Maasai Mara National Reserve in Kenya does occupy a special mention for its vast range of wildlife including its magnificent felines – the lions, the leopards and the cheetahs – many of whom are eventually known to Jonathan and Angela Scott. "We wanted to reveal the joys and hardships of what it means to be a big cat in all its vital rawness and honesty, and to explore the vital role the Masai people play in their story," says Jonathan Scott, adding, "It is our duty to ensure that the roar of the mighty lion continues to echo across the African savannah, inspiring the next generation of conservationists long after we have disappeared from this world. Animal Planet is the perfect home for Big Cat Tales." Welcome to the trail of Big Cat Tales in the magnificent Mara, the kingdom of predators. Jonathan first stepped in Mara in 1977 for the quest of the big cats and it has been a great continuation on his part to unravel the stories of some of the remarkable felines whom he and Angela followed for over the last four decades. The first series of Big Cat Tales happened to be filmed in two sessions - the pre-migration filming session (comprising the programmes named "Rebirth in the Mara", "Danger in the Long Grass" and "Battle on the Plains") was done during January to April 2017, and later on, the migrational session (comprising the programmes "Faces from the Shadow" and "Survivors of Savannah") was filmed in September to October 2017. Again, some of the old stars reappeared on the screen. In every sense of the word, this is indeed the "Rebirth in the Mara".
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Fatherly Moments: Askari (above) and Mpole (below) with the cubs Photo Credit: Jonathan and Angela Scott (above); Animal Planet (below) |
The Marsh Pride of lions have always been the centre of all attraction right of the beginning in Jonathan's tenure here in Mara, conspicuously from 1996 to 2008, they continued to be the top cat family in Big Cat Diary. Now, the Pride appeared yet again on the screen with their new generation. After the drastic transformation in their predicament, Charm, the remaining one of the Three Graces, was to be seen here as the matriarch in the pride. Despite her age, in early 2017 she had become the mother of two six-week-old cubs, with whose presence the projection of Dynasties was ended. The pride got the renovated strength and solidarity with the bonding of the young females as the core – Bibi's daughter Kabibi was one of them, backed up by Sienna's daughter Dada and Charm's two daughters, namely Kito (Referred to as Kali in the series) and Rembo (fondly renamed as Cloudy Eye because of her intransparent retina, which was subsequently recovered). Of these four females, Kabibi and Dada have become the mothers of three new cubs of four-month-old, namely, Moja, Mbili (belonging to Kabibi) and Solo (belonging to Dada) – three Swahili words for 'one', 'two' and 'three'. Quite contrary to the characters of Moja and Mbili, Solo was a meek one, preferring to stay submissive in front of his two boisterous cousins. These three cubs, along with Charm's two tiny youngsters just happened to be the future of the pride, and deserve special mention as they were the first progeny of the two new stunning adult males – Rafiki and Karibu, two Swahili words for 'the friend' and 'welcome'. In the series, however, they were renamed by the Big Cat People as Askari and Mpole, respectively. In Swahili, 'Askari' means 'the soldier', while 'Mpole' suggests 'slowly move'. The females used to remain a bit worried when it came to bringing forth the cubs to Mpole. He used to be a bit grumpy towards them and mostly preferred to be in solitude in the periphery of the Marsh territory. Askari, by contrast, was a loving father and responsible spouse. Females loved to stick around him.
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Malaika and her cubs Photo Credit: Animal Planet |
Alongside the Big Cat People, Jackson Ole Looseyia too was tailing the cats whom he knew since they were born. Jackson is a firm devotee of the integrity of wildlife with the Maasai culture as he has presented it in Big Cat Live in 2008. Cheetahs represent thousand years of refined predatory evolution with a handful of individuals surviving against all odds in the savannah. Now, he was on the mission to unveil the fastest one of the big cats. Right from the beginning, Malaika has captured the hearts of the audience as a determined mother with all her breathtaking actions and indomitable spirit, living up to her name. Malaika (meaning 'angel' in Swahili) was born in 2007, and is believed to be one of the daughters of Serena, one of Kike's daughters, born in December 2002. Much akin to her lineage, Malaika too preferred to climb up on the vehicles, and use them as vantage points. Earlier in 2012, she was famously captured by many tourists along with her son Bawa, who was believed to be independent by then. This time, she was not alone. She has got two six-month-old cubs – both males. Being both males in a litter has its advantages since these two brothers were about to unravel their horizon after leaving their mother when they would become adolescents.
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Olare the leopard with her cubs |
"Even just a few moments in the company of a leopard – it's gold! It doesn't matter how many times you've seen them, there's something special." — Over the years spent in Mara, the leopards have always been the most favourite ones of Jonathan Scott. After so many years, it was a delight to watch him following the leopards' story on-screen alongside that of the lions. In Olare Orok Lugga, we were about to be introduced to a very special mother leopard called Olare, named after the area where she still lives in. Olare Orok Lugga happens to be situated in eastern part of the Mara, outside the reserve boundary, where the leopards like to spend their time and have their cubs, tucked in the bushes during the first few crucial months of their lives. Her two cubs, both males, were about eight-month-old. Jackson had named Olare's two sons – Makumbhwa, meaning 'the big one' and Ndogo, 'the little one'. Had they been lion cubs bumbling with each other, one might have thought that they were belonging to different litters, but here, it was hard to imagine two leopard cubs of the same litter with a distinctive difference in their bodily appearances. This, however, was not the complete family frame because, Jasiri, a son from Olare's previous litter used to stay close to his natal area and his family despite being fully independent. This was something really special to witness, and everyone was eager to figure how Jasiri, the big male would exactly behave to his half brothers. And, it turned out to be a genial and decent interaction! A leopard-frame, reminding us of Olive with her two litters of cubs together, back in 2008.
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Makumbhwa, 'the bigger one' Photo Credit: Animal Planet |
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Ndogo, 'the smaller one' Photo Credit: Animal Planet |
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Jasiri, a son from Olare's previous litter Photo Credit: Animal Planet |
Programme 2: Danger in the Long Grass
IT IS not only the big cats that attract the visitors to the magnanimity of the Mara. The culture and the rituals of the Maasai people connote much more about it. At the beginning of Programme 2: "Danger in the Long Grass", Jonathan explained the intertwining relation of Mara's ecology and the people:
In the Maasai language Mara means 'spotted', a land spotted with wild animals, spotted with bushes; and, of course, dominated by its big cats. But for me, as a first time visitor in 1974, it was also very much about the Masai in their colourful regalia, and particularly, the warriors with their spears and short swords. It stirred my blood. It made me take a step back in time.
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Maasai people dancing in their colourful regalia Photo Credit: Jonathan and Angela Scott |
To this vibrant capture of the essence, Jackson added:
The Maasai Mara is home, and this is where we live. We live with our families here on daily basis. This is also what makes us special as the Maasai people because this is one of the richest places in Kenya with the big cats. We're pastoralists. Because we don't kill wildlife for food, they are abundant in every single Maasai county. If we are to hunt these wild animals for food, there will be nothing existing here, but we have learnt to coexist. That is very special and it makes my tribe, my culture a very unique culture in Kenya.
And certainly, with this special tinge of uniqueness, the Mara represents itself to be one of the storehouses of actions and surprises that may often turn out to be perilous. In the last programme, the audience witnessed buffaloes surrounding Charm's den. It was apparently better for her to remain silent and immobile as far as practicable because one single movement may bring forth trouble in the form of severe injury or even death. Just as an old proverb says, "To a buffalo, you are only a good lion if you are a dead lion," the mighty hooves and horns would show no mercy to the lions. Charm's patience and practical sense of not attracting too much attention paid off. The buffaloes seemed to be content with the mere intimidation. Kabibi and Dada moved the bigger cubs to a safer haven. They were mobile enough to take quicker steps for their safety. A few days later, Cloudy Eye, Charm's daughter, was seen having courtship with Askari, one of the pride males. She had a miscarriage in Bila Shaka, their traditional nursery area not so long ago. It was destined that she would be coming back to season within a few weeks, and now, the couple was enjoying some of their private moments together, cut off from the rest of the family. On the other side, as Dada and Kabibi had spotted Charm's den just a few meters away from a vantage point of a branch, they moved in and, as the bigger cubs started a casual play session, Charm preferred to move her tiny cubs to the base of a fallen tree which was fondly known as "Dave's Tree".
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Affection: Askari with Moja and Mbili, two of the Marsh cubs Photo Credit: Jonathan and Angela Scott |
Later on, the entire pride laid down in front of the filming vehicle of Angela Scott, representing themselves to be the epitome of peace and contentment. The three cubs seemed to enjoy their moments around Askari. With his fatherly calmness on one hand, and the mighty spirit of a warrior on the other, Askari was gradually turning out to be an icon. While most of the pride males prefer to spend their time patrolling in the peripheral areas, Askari was a family man par excellence. The Marsh Pride drew towards the shade of the car and enjoyed a hearty afternoon nap. Capturing the essence of the familial serenity, Angela Scott commentated: "I can't think of another animal that is so powerful. In our mythology, they are the emblem of strength and courage, and fierceness. There is no other animal you want to rather be with than the lion."
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Rembo was re-christened as Cloudy Eye because of the inintransperant retina of her left eye Photo Credit: Jonathan and Angela Scott |
Elsewhere, the family moments were not so scenic. Malaika had not hunted for at least a couple of days. Cheetah's sprinter like body is evolved to generate the high-speed chase, not to produce enough strength that can pounce upon a prey. Having failed the mission of ambushing impalas, Malaika switched her target on a herd of wildebeest – the residential nomads, not the part of the regular annual migration, and eventually took down a calf. Now, it was yet another challenge for the cheetah family to get the most of the meal as much as possible before the arrival of stronger adversaries.
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Malaika chasing a herd of impalas Photo Credit: Animal Planet |
While Olare, with her two litters of cubs, gifted us with some of the most desired big cat moments, Jonathan, after several attempts of searching, caught up with Bahati, a well-known star of the Talek area for so many years. Bahati happened to be a leopard whom many of the goers of Mara have known ever since she was a cub. She was born in 2010. We knew her mother Olive, and her grandmother Bella. Her lineage still runs deep along the banks of the Talek River. Judging the fur around her tips, it seemed that she had got tiny cubs not more than three months old. It was indeed a moment of sheer joy when the cubs appeared one after another. She had hunted down a full-grown male impala, stashing whose carcass on a tree turned out to be a great challenge. A noisy flock of guinea fowls started to raise the alarm call delivering a message of the whereabouts of the predator. Bahati moved the carcass away from the place where the cubs were tucked, but since the intestine and the abdominal parts were left there, hyenas could swiftly move in to inspect.
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Bahati grabbing an adult male impala Photo Credit: Jonathan and Angela Scott |
Programme 3: Battle on the Plains
IT IS a custom in the Mara to catch up with the big cats often turns out to be a real challenge – a condition that provokes the team has to be aptly ready before dawn, getting them adequate to the table of the cats. Cheetahs are, however, the daytime hunters. Nobody could ever forget the moment in the series when Malaika was found to be in a situation where she was hardly struggling to take down an adult impala buck with the seemingly worse consequence of getting herself caught between the horns. Especially, it was nastier since the cubs were still very much dependent on her. Luckily, she managed to avoid the blow from her prey and with the backup from her cubs, finally took him down. In the Marsh, however, the lionesses were seemingly having a bit of better luck in subduing a frail and old bull buffalo, but the table quickly turned as the rest of the herd drastically moved into the scene, scattering the lionesses. As they positioned themselves by the side of the injured bull, it seemed that they were attacking him, but as the buffalo-mob gathered, they rushingly lifted the bull to a safer place. This was perhaps one of the very rare moments ever filmed by natural history filmmakers.
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The Marsh females trying to subdue an old bull buffalo Photo Credit: Animal Planet |
In the last programme, Bahati was seen in a dilemma – where to stash the kill and to get the cubs in a safer place. All seemed to be going in her way, but one morning, one of the cubs was cornered by a troop of baboons, and subsequently, manages to avoid the massacre. No sooner had the nuisance took place, she was chased off by a bunch of young lions. At one point, she made her way right through the open tracks. The same group of lions were resting just a few hundred meters away. Bahati, however, managed to get two of her cubs into a safer place, avoiding all the nuisances that caused so much trouble earlier on that day.
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Bahati along with her two cubs trying to escape the lions Photo Credit: Jonathan and Angela Scott |
The Mara is full of surprises in its every corner, and to Jonathan, a real surprise appeared in Programme 3, in the form of an old feline friend – Scarface. Scarface happened to be one of the males, who used to be the pride male of the Marsh Pride belonging to the coalition of four who were famously called "Four Musketeers". The other three were Hunter, Morani ane Sikio. Scarface's appalling wound could not be unnoticed. The wound was believed to be delivered from a with the other lions. The Musketeers came in Marsh in 2011, chased off the old pride males – Clawed and Romeo, and dominated the Marsh area for years. In 2013, Scarface was darted and treated by the vets and after his recovery, they moved on to the south and took over the Paradise Pride in 2014. Scarface, however, was the real gladiator of the harsh plain of life. His bravado could be ended up in any moment whenever any new group of male lions would intend to take over — that happened to be the essence, captured in Jonathan's recapitulation:
I think when you live in situations like these, so close to nature where life and death are inseparable, when they are in natural part of living – I think you draw strength from the courage of these animals; from their stoicism, from their resilience – they never give up. So, when I look into the eyes of an old warrior like Scarface, I can only feel compassion because I know that for most lions, death will be a violent death – at the hands of other lions, at the hands of hyenas. And, I look at Scarface, and I think to myself — will he perhaps be chase away from this area, beaten up, killed? Could be. Those are the natural changes that take place, but today, I salute Scarface. Haven't seen him for years. And, it's a little bit of magic for me to watch this incredible lion.
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Scarface, the erstwhile dominant male of the Marsh Pride from the coalition called Four Musketeers, now settled down with Paradise Pride Photo Credit: Animal Planet |
From the old warrior, cut to the den of the Marsh Pride. There was some good news. Kito, Charm's other daughter and the sister of Cloudy Eye, had given birth to four cubs. When the filming of this series was started, she, at one point, was seen severely sick. Everybody was fearing if she was going to lose the unborn litter. To everyone's surprise and much delight, her cubs seemed to be well, although choosing the unsafe and open area where her mother also brought cubs did not seem to be ideal. Charm, however, finally agreed to join the rest of the pride as her cubs have now reached that age when the little ones are expected to be united with the other pride members along with the bunch of bigger cubs. Ideally, it is the wonderful sense of coordination, cooperation and continuity that every lion pride expect to behold. In the Marsh Pride crèch, there happened to be now three females – Charm, Kabibi and Dada with a total of five cubs. Charm's two male cubs often tended to fight back when Moja, Mbili or Solo tried to push them in their daily games. The three mothers were expected to protect the cubs as a combined force. How far would this scenic peace of maternity prevail was a real question because, towards the end of the first filming session in April 2017, six nomadic males moved into the Marsh territory? To them, there was everything to gain; to the Marsh males, however, it might have been the moment to lose everything. If any of the young cubs were exposed to this massive force, it would be the end of their predicament. It remained a striking interrogation — what on earth was awaiting in the future of the Marsh lions?
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The Six Warriors, namely (from left to right), Baba Yao, Doa, Koshoke, Chongo, Kibogoyo and Kiok (behind) Photo Credit: Jonathan and Angela Scott |
Programme 4: Faces from the Shadow
FOUR MONTHS later in September 2017, after the high density of the rainy season, now it was time to catch up with them again when the annual migration of wildebeest and zebras were on the move. Tracking down the six nomadic males, who were famously bestowed with the title of Six Warriors or Bila Shaka Males in the Musiara Marsh was the real premonition. Whether the nine Marsh cubs including the youngest ones of Charm's were still alive was anyone's guess at the moment. From the guides and the drivers, the report was derived that the four young females and some of the cubs, led by Charm, moved into the area called Leopard Gorge, 8 kilometres away from the territory of the Marsh Pride. The start of the reign of Askari and Mpole seemed to be promising, but the two males seemed to largely neglect their patrolling duties, as they tolerated the presence of both the Six Warrior coalition and the Kichwa Males within their territory without response. The Marsh Pride lionesses then lost confidence in the males and led by Charm, took the risk of moving away from their core territory in Musiara Marsh. The gamble of moving to unfamiliar territory did not pay off and most of the cubs were lost, including the two cubs of Charm. Meanwhile, Askari and Mpole completely abandoned the pride and instead took over the Acacia Pride. The tragic outcome was about to be revealed to Jonathan and Angela as they found out that only four out of a total of nine cubs are alive! The photographic evidence showed that Solo and Mbili were no more, almost certainly killed by the six invaders, but it was indeed a matter of sheer joy to watch three of Kito's four cub well and alive. The six males have settled down there in Marsh, making it difficult for the Marsh females to return to their domain.
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ID Moments: The Big Cat People at Governors Camp trying to confirm the identity of the surviving Marsh cubs after the takeover by the Warriors Photo Credit: Animal Planet |
Jackson was back on the trail of the cheetahs. Malaika's cubs had gone through several lessons, and now they were nearly ten-month-old adolescents. Soon there would be time for them to leave their mother, and start to venture out on their own. Since both of them were males, they would be lifelong companions, inseparable from each other, identical in almost everything. The nearest instance of how far Malaika's cubs were to go on, and probably the toughest challenge to Malaika's cubs was a formidable coalition of five adult male cheetahs, famously known by the name of Tano Bora, meaning 'the fast five' in Swahili, referred to as Five Cheetah Boys in Big Cat Tales, namely, Olpadan, Oralishani, Leboo, Winda (initially named Olaretoni) and Olonyok. Their story has been vividly followed in a documentary film called The Incredible Five – A Cheetah's Tale. Jackson commented on the presence of this newly arrived group:
These are new male cheetahs in the area. They've just arrived into the reserve, and incredible to see five male cheetahs together! Coalitions of cheetahs have been known for years, but five is very additional ... I mean this is just the most unique situation that we've got right here. I've worked in the Mara, probably about thirty years in the field – five is really a powerful force.
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Tano Bora, the Five Cheetah Boys Photo Credit: Animal Planet |
Although they seemed to be blood-brothers, they actually belong to three different cheetah mothers and some of them are believed to be from Serengeti. The Boys' concern was to estimate themselves to be the prime force, and they used to look forward to something bigger prey. Taking down a full-grown wildebeest is an ultimate level of skill and solidarity. To the Big Cat People, it had been a real bonus to come across such a coalition first time ever in the forty years they spent in the Mara. At one point, the five males delivered a scentmarking on a fallen tree. Jackson, commemorating this fraternity of coexistence, beautifully narrated that this happens to be the same solidarity that we, the human beings lack.
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Five Cheetah Boys on their patrolling duties Photo Credit: Moses Manduku |
Alongside the current cheetah stars, a female called Selenkei was soon tracked down in Olare Motorogi Conservation Area. Of her three cubs, one was seen severely injured as a tawny eagle launched an ambush on the tiny one. This particular cheetah family was staying very close to the domain of Moniko Pride of lions. On one occasion, some of the lionesses and the cubs from the Moniko Pride almost bumped into the new cheetah family, but since the lions were much concerned about collapsing into the shade, the cheetahs were saved for the moment. How far the fortune would favour them, was yet to be seen. Cut to the other side of our other spotted cats, Bahati turned out to be quite content, and performed some unique effort of hunting right through the crocodile-infested streams of Talek River, but snatching a kill from the deadly jaws of a 20 feet long Nile crocodile would be a nasty retreat for sure. Her two cubs are about eight-month-old, nearing their independence to step into their own ways in the domain of independence. The same can be said about Olare's two male offspring, who were filmed a few months ago as little cubs. Jackson soon caught up with Ndogo with a carcass of a wildebeest calf on a fig tree. Perhaps his mother had made this kill, and left it to the sons. Whatever the prospect was, it was fascinating to see Ndogo enjoying his first steps towards freedom.
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A Grown-up Ndogo Photo Credit: Animal Planet |
The vacancy of the Marsh lions was never to be filled in until they would decide to be back from their defensive exile. There are a handful of lion prides, who eventually are the adjacent relatives and neighbours to the Marsh lions. Eight years ago in 2011, four lionesses from the Marsh Pride split up and formed a breakaway group of their own, tending to keep their head down in the gardenia thickets of the eastern part of the Rhino Ridge. Born to the Golden Four (White Eye, Red, Bibi and Lispy) in the Marsh Pride in 2008, fathered by Romeo and Clawed, Summer, Winter, Autumn and Spring (also known as Mdomo) have turned out to be the core of Topi Plains Pride with the strong protection of Lipstick and Blackie, two stunning adult male lions, who came from Serengeti National Park in Tanzania. Very much in their peak, Blackie and Lipstick were the duo to be reckoned with. One morning during filming, Angela tracked down Spring, who happened to be Bibi's daughter (referred to as Notch in the series), with her two new cubs – both males – the similitude of her half-sister Charm with her two cubs whom they crew had been watching in the early session of filming. This serene and unadulterated beauty of new cubs, being nurtured by their mother added a real tinge of promise as they were carrying forward the genes of the Marsh Pride through their bloodline. She beautifully vivified the moment:
With the Marsh Pride having moved up to Leopard Gorge, I felt a little lost. And, I was told about this glorious mother. There's an energy about the lionesses, something to do with the maternal instinct, I mean ... because I'm a mother myself — It's just divine. And, I'm constantly fascinated about the interactions between the mother and the cubs, starting at this age – this tiny, tiny age. You realise, with lions their legacy will carry on. They will always find a way to survive.
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Spring (Mdomo) with her tiny cubs Photo Credit: Animal Planet |
Programme 5: Survivors of Savannah
Photography for me has been a passion since I was very young. I think it gave me a voice because I was a very shy child and, I found that I could explain easier what I was feeling through photography. And, as I got older, I realised that the power behind the art, seeing was probably one of our most emotive feelings because when you see a photograph, you feel it on so many different levels. It speaks to in a thousand different ways and, each person is absorbing it in their personal way. Jonathan is so eloquent and, he writes so beautifully that I feel it is my role in our partnership to illustrate his words with my photography. So, for me always it's been a challenge to save I can create my own personal interpretation of what I see every day and, then of course the joys in sharing because joys in sharing one's work with others and hoping it touches them. If I can show the extraordinary things that I am privileged to see, and I can touch somebody else to feel what I feel, then my work is done.
— ANGELA SCOTT vividly recapitulated her integration as a photographer. Every day brings the new enthusiasm and meaning of life in Kenya's Maasai Mara. That happens to be the chief reason that draws its appreciators here over the years. Right now, at the final phase of filming Big Cat Tales, the five adult male cheetahs, by the virtue of their strong bonding and coordination, were conquering their concerned patches and were ambitiously going on to take down bigger prey like adult wildebeests. Their reign seemed not only a promising one but also aimed at the uncertainty and anxiety of any other coalition with a lesser number of individuals in it. Cheetahs roam over twenty times bigger territorial range in the African Savannah than lions. So, with a handful of thirty-two cheetahs residing in Mara, they turned out to be indeed a great addition and the pioneer of a good gene pool. Meanwhile, Selenkei, the mother of three tiny cubs was found well and her injured cub, despite the disadvantage in moving, is proving to be on a progressive trail. The crew hopes that it would survive and win against odd.
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Selenkei, a young female cheetah from Olare Motorogi Conservancy with her cubs Photo Credit: Animal Planet |
The crew was about to encroach on a new legacy in the making. While in the Talek area Bahati's cubs, turning eight-month-old, were thriving, getting almost preoccupied with all sorts of probable adversities, outside the boundary of the reserve in Olare Orok Conservancy, a new family turned up on the scene in Programme 5: "Survivors of Savannah". Fig was a female leopard with her four-month-old female cub called Twiglet, who was often fondly called Figlet. Over their tenure in the Mara and during the regular vigilance, the crew knew one thing that it would take a long journey for this young leopard cub to step into the realm of independence. Fig, however, proved herself to be a cautious and watchful mother. Being a single cub in a litter has also have its advantages since a mother, on such occasion, turns out to be extremely centred around the survivor. With her mother so advanced with her excellent parenting, and Twiglet herself as a fast learner, hers seemed to be a chance of prosperous survival.
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Fig on the lookout Photo Credit: Animal Planet |
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"The Eyes Have It": Fig cautiously scanning her surroundings Photo Credit: Animal Planet |
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Figlet, Fig's five-month-old daughter Photo Credit: Animal Planet |
While the daily hostilities were turning out to be daily lessons to the leopard cub, the two tiny lion cubs on the block were just about to venture out their domain along with their mother. A few weeks ago when the crew came across Spring, and her two cubs from the Topi Plains Pride in a man-made culvert, she was protecting her cubs from the rough and tumble of the pride life, out of the sight and reach of the other members. Now it seemed Spring had arrived at a conclusion that the cubs were ready to be united with the rest of the pride and she is on her mission. On other side of the family, the adolescents from the Topi Plains Pride have hunted down a male impala and almost everyone was fighting over the share. Jonathan emphasised one of the young males, who was being tracked down with the help of a radio collar by the Mara Predator Project. Lipstick, the old pride male was on the guard, and for the young males, it was a signal for stepping out of the area. Keeping a constant vigilance on the nomadic males is a much-needed conservation step since in such vulnerable age when young lions happen to roam around the fringes of the territory, there lies the chance of an encounter with the Maasai herdsmen. For the conservationists, it is important to know what exactly happens to these trotters after being ousted either by their fathers or by the invading males. For the adolescents in Topi Plains Pride, the juncture had arrived. As one of the males showed keen interest in one of the young females, Lipstick immediately charged in, and with his massive domination, he made it quite clear whose reign prevailed in the territory. Pushing the limits is not to be tolerated by the pride males, and Lipstick represented himself just in the apt role. The young males might have been soon pushed out of their natal home range, having themselves discovered on the unknown trail of freedom.
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Blackie Photo Credit: Animal Planet |
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Lipstick Photo Credit: Animal Planet |
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Lipstick keeping vigilance on the young males of the Topi Plains Pride Photo Credit: Animal Planet |
In all their years spent in Mara, the Big Cat People and the crew have been the devotee of one thought that no one could ever write the script of such a magnanimous television soap, where the immediate subsequent moment happens to be beyond imagination at times. Everyone was worried about the fate of the Marsh Pride after their departure from Musiara Marsh, their home range to the Leopard Gorge. The anxiety became more agonising after the pride males departed. Now, in the final week of the first series of Big Cat Tales, to everyone's surprise, and pleasure, the pride had returned to their own patch of ground, showing off their familiar frame of old-fashioned relaxation in their territory. Nothing could have been a better conclusion to Big Cat Tales. Kabibi and Kito had to be on their guard since their cubs, being under a year old, happened to be vulnerable. Moja and the three other surviving cubs were in great condition, and it seemed given the stability and an opportunity of uninterrupted stability, they were going to thrive. Charm, Cloudy Eye and Dada, the other three lionesses were not raising the cubs of their own, and there might have been a chance that they would soon meet with the Warriors in near future. After all, a strong coalition like them just seemed to be the supreme protectors and the great fathers to a new generation of Marsh lions. Would there be a fresh chapter in the history of the Marsh Pride? Everyone would certainly figure it out very soon.
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The Marsh Pride, back to the heart of their territory Photo Credit: Animal Planet |
The entire organic whole of the Maasai Mara makes it a unique spectacle for the vast ranges of wildlife, from birds to mighty elephants, from tiny dik-dik to the loftiest giraffe; from the migrating herds to the other residential herbivores; and of course, the big cats add the final tinge of charisma. They are ambassadorial in their own right. Big Cat Tales turned out to be their story as chronicled in one single year. In the final programme, Jonathan summed up: "Who could have imagined, in their wildest dreams that we would have recorded such spectacular moments with our big cats?" To which, Jackson innately added:
Growing up in the Maasai Mara I have learned so many things, and I'm very proud to share so many treasures. We have learned to live side by side with these animals. I'm excited to go out every day because I know I'm going to learn something. Every single day, I go out and I see something that I've never seen before. That's why I love it.
With a great sense of recapitulation, Angela substantiated:
I think the Maasai Mara is so close to both Jonathan and my heart. It is our very essence, it is what we love to do more than anything. Because it is so rich and so abundant and so many different species. The human race has taken over as guardians over the planet, and it would be an absolute tragedy if we didn't really step up and protect these extraordinary wild places – there are so few left in the world now.
Jonathan, then backed up:
... but in some ways, the reason this is so special for us is because this is our home. This is where we live. When the cameras disappear, when the lights go down, we are still here, following these stories as we have for the last forty years, and I think it's the intimacy of our relationship with these great cats – that really is at the heart of our joy. These great cats that have enthralled us of course have been living in places like this for thousands of years, and in a sense, all we are able to do is look at one page in the book of their life. And, what I would hope is over years on, people will just turn just one more page, take one more look at this extraordinary legacy that we have in front of us. It is a never-ending story and we are just a small part of that. And, I feel very privileged to have just been able to share briefly with you – something of their story.
That is how the path of life is. "Life's Eternal Dance" (As the subtitle of the first volume of Scott's book The Sacred Nature is) must go on in its desired rhythm and the big cats will be exploring themselves in the several mouldss of circumstances. and the crew is expecting to return here soon to catch up with the latest progress of all our beloved cats' lives.
To be continued ...
Credits
Presented by
Jonathan Scott
Angela Scott
Jackson Ole Looseyia
Produced and Directed by
Abraham Joffe ACS
Co-Producer
Jonathan Scott
Associate Producer
Louis Cooper Robinson
Director of Photography
Abraham Joffe ACS
Cinematography
Dom West
Blake Castle
Abraham Joffe ACS
Jake Plumridge
Pete Matthews
Alex Chapman
Chris Nemes
Wissan Abdallah
Editors
Lorna-Jean Bradley
Rika Borthwick
Composer
Adam Moses
Title Theme Composer
Lydia Davis
Sound Design
Stuart St. Vincent Welch
Simon Lister
Joe Mount
Sound Mixing
Stuart St. Vincent Welch
Dialogue Editor
Tom Herdman
Colourist
Fred El-Harris
Animator
Ramon Rodriguez
Motion Graphics
Keith Li
Compositor
Vanderli Santana
Post Production Assistant
Lenard Cassimatis
Acknowledgement
Republic of Kenya
Kenya Ministry of Information, Communication and Technology
Kenya Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife
Kenya Tourism Board
Narok County Government
Maasai Mara National Reserve
Governors Camp
Leopard Gorge Conservancy
Mara Conservancy
Mara North Conservancy
Olare Motorogi Conservancy
Kenya Wildlife Trust:
Mara Predator Conservation Programme
Cheetah For Ever
Questacon
Nylon Studios
Kenya Airways
Safarilink Aviation
Maniago Safaris
Governors Camp Balloon Safaris
CS Tourism and Wildlife:
Honourable Najib Balala
Advisors to CS Tourism and Wildlife:
Fatma Muses
CEO Kenya Tourism Board:
Dr Betty Raddier
Governor of Narok County:
Honourable Samuel Ole Tunai
CS Tourism Narok County Government:
Honourable Lena Munge
The Grammaticus Family
Patrick Beresford
Governors Camp Staff and Safari Guides
Harrison Ole Nompaso
William Ole Pere
Daniel Ole Marompi
Sanjay Gupta
Chris Diaz
Winnie Onyach
John Buckley
Anu Vohra
Annabella Francescon
Brian Heath
Hamish Macdonald
Philip Valentine
Greg Monson
Dr Femke Broekhuis
Dr Nic Elliott
Brian Finch
Tony Nagle
Mark Bamford
Canon Australia
Dragon Image
Red Digital Cinema
F-Stop
Atomos
Polar Pro
For Animal Planet
VP of Production
Erin Wanner
Executive Producer
Dawn Sinsel
VP of Production Management
Sandy Haller
Production Co-ordinator
Valerie Moss
Produced by
Untitled Film Works
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