Living with Leopards

Leopards are the most supreme predator.

Their skill to hide...

their skill to climb, their skill to hunt...

it's very calculating.

It's very smart.

I've lived with and filmed multiple leopards over the years,

and each one has a unique personality.

The first time I met Mochima,

she easily jumped up into the top of these branches,

10 or 12 meters high,

and positioned herself

very deliberately.

I had no idea what she was doing.

Then something extraordinary happened.

I'd never seen a leopard take such a risk

to get prey.

But pretty soon after, she revealed the reason why.

Getting a glimpse into the den and seeing these tiny cubs,

I really began to understand how vulnerable they are.

The first two years are incredibly dangerous

and why less than half of all cubs make it to maturity.

I had no idea where this story was going to go.

But I knew, by following this family,

I would open a window into a leopard's world nobody's ever seen.

Filming leopard cubs is always challenging

as a good mother will keep them completely concealed

and unknown to the world.

As the cubs get older,

they are relatively alert to the world.

But they won't venture beyond the boundaries of the den.

It is only after about three months

that the cubs start to explore outside of the den.

This is the time where their real characters are revealed.

And it's a good time to name them.

Kutjira means "the shy one."

And she was the image of her mother.

Not only by looks but by personality.

You could see her watching and puzzling out the world around her.

There was a real sense of intelligence behind her eyes.

I called her son Dakunga,

which means "the one who wants power."

He was the complete opposite of his sister.

He was a lot more cavalier.

A lot more clumsy.

If you're gonna survive in the wild,

you can't throw caution to the wind.

It's a dangerous place to grow up.

Filming leopards requires a large amount of dedication and passion.

And I knew that if I was going to be able to keep up with this family,

there's no way that I could do it alone.

I had to build a team that were incredibly driven

and were prepared to commit several years of their lives

to following these leopards.

I grew up in the city, and, coming here,

I didn't really know how to cope in the bush.

My mom especially was not happy.

She thought that one of the wild animals, the predators, is going to get me.

I had no idea I was gonna end up here.

And I had minimum experience of the camera and the bush.

So I was thrown in the deep end, and I had to prove myself.

Yeah, so Mochima stashed her cubs in Leopard Central

and she's heading east towards Mongoose Tree Line.

It looks like she's hunting.

So you can see her concentration.

There's one thing on her mind.

She's here to get food on the table.

Because, if you fail,

you might have to go three days without feeding your kids,

which starts to get dangerous.

Every move that they make is very deliberate,

and you can see the thought process playing out.

As a hunt unfolds...

that intelligence,

combined with its ability to remain concealed,

is what really defines a leopard.

It's extraordinary how close a leopard can get,

and how completely oblivious the prey is.

I've seen Mochima stalk within a few feet of prey

and spend up to an hour

in that position before actually pouncing.

An experienced hunter might suffocate its prey

by biting over its mouth and nose

to prevent any noise that may alert other predators.

The quieter a leopard can kill, the more successful they are.

Leopards can pull a carcass up into a tree

to keep it away from scavengers,

but a mother with very young cubs will often hide it on the ground.

When Mochima called for the cubs,

Kutjira, as per character, responded immediately.

But there was no sign of Dakunga.

He had obviously been playing well away from where he should've been.

And pushing your boundaries in these environments could be fatal.

Mochima had to call several times before she got an answer.

He didn't really care.

He feels like he's in charge already.

The carcass provides an opportunity for the cubs to learn.

And there's this very comical sort of ritual that plays out...

where they almost relive the hunt in their heads.

This is vital because it ignites their bloodlust

and is an important step to them becoming independent hunters.

Now that the cubs are well-fed and fat and happy,

Mochima has to go and maintain her territory

that is about 20 square kilometers in size.

To do this, she has to patrol her boundaries,

scent-marking as she goes.

When you're following her, it's a huge challenge.

She could walk for seven, eight hours straight.

Your body is in a stressed state trying to keep up.

During that time, sometimes we forget to eat

because you don't want to lose her.

This scent-marking lets other female leopards know

that this is her land

and to keep out.

But this doesn't deter nomadic males venturing into her territory.

The biggest killer of leopard cubs is other leopards.

And this nomadic male was a threat to Kutjira and Dakunga.

They will deliberately kill the cubs to bring a female back into estrus

so they can mate with her.

The only thing that could stand in his way...

is Mokhanyo...

...the area's dominant male, and the cubs' father.

As soon as Mokhanyo picked up the scent of the intruder,

he immediately started to track him down.

It wasn't long before

Mokhanyo caught up with the slightly pale male.

So we had this situation

where these two males, they were sizing each other up.

The tension was building, and building, and building.

Eventually, a point broke where these two males had to fight.

It happened in a thick scrubby area, out of sight.

The stakes were high.

This was a fight that would ultimately determine

the life or death of Kutjira and Dakunga.

The young intruder was the first to emerge.

But there was no sign of Mokhanyo.

The uncertainty was horrible.

He finally emerged, properly beaten up.

But, because the nomadic male started to leave,

he was clearly the victor.

We all breathed a huge sigh of relief,

knowing that Mochima's family was safe

and that we could continue their story.

There's been days and weeks

where you don't interact with a single person.

So it's important to be comfortable with your own mind space.

I've always been a bit of an introvert,

and I guess that being out here in the peace and the quiet

aligned with my character.

Sleeping out at night, you have to keep your wits about you.

There's always a chance of snakes and scorpions and lions walking past.

But also, you're underneath a blanket of stars,

uh, which nowadays people don't really get to experience.

When you wake up, you immerse yourself in the environment.

When you're looking out,

you're not just looking for leopards, say on trees or walking.

You're also looking at other game in the area

to see if they are relaxed or if they are alert.

And that will also give you signs if there's, uh, a leopard nearby or not.

Uh, gents,

I have some female leopard tracks on the link road

heading towards Pangolin Forest.

Uh, looking quite fresh. I'll follow them.

You have to become a leopard and think like one, act like one.

That's the key to finding them.

That comes with time and putting in the miles every day.

Yeah, so I've managed to pin down Mochima.

She's with Kutjira, and they're heading towards Mangosteen Crossing.

When a leopard cub gets to about a year of age,

their hunting instincts really begin to kick in.