“The Serengeti is home to one of the largest lion populations in Africa; one pride is exceptional and thrives due to plentiful prey and strong males: the super pride”

The Serengeti, in northern Tanzania, is one of earth’s great wildlife refuges and teems with big predators but none compare to the lion.

The Serengeti sustains one of the biggest lion populations in Africa: approximately 3,500 lions in 300 prides. But this pride, residing in the central Serengeti, is an exception. Twenty-two lions in all: they are a Super Pride.

Few lion prides reach Super Pride status. This phenomenon requires the right conditions. Plentiful prey and strong pride males are key to its success. The large herds of migrating wildebeest and zebra on the Serengeti provide the perfect super pride food source.

But keeping cubs alive to maturity is the Super Pride's ultimate goal. The pride needs to hunt every day to survive and these lions have developed a unique killing technique: by placing their mouths over the mouth of the wildebeest they suffocate their prey.

However, sometimes the greatest threats to a lion cub's life come from other lions, especially the large, nomadic males. To solve this problem, cubs are looked after and protected by trusted members of the pride in a ‘crèche’. The mothers can leave their cubs safely behind and go out on the hunt!

In this National Geographic ‘Special’ we:

• discover how the unique conditions of the Serengeti allow a super pride to thrive
  
• see lots of lion cubs born into the world
  
• look at life and hierarchies within the pride
  
• witness the constant harassment of pride members by hyenas
  
• view the amazing spectacle of a heroic giraffe mother trying to defend her newborn calf from a hungry lioness.   
  

Narrated by Lance Lewman.
Produced by James Byrne for National Geographic (2007).