Lion Documentaries - Best of All Time

It's survival of the fittest, the fastest and the fiercest in this striking IMAX wildlife adventure about a young rogue nomadic lion who invades the domain of an elder established king of the jungle and challenges him for pride supremacy at a strategic watering hole in the Kalahari Desert in Botswana. The documentary, a National Geographic production, was shot over two years by director Tim Liversedge, who also provided the stunning cinematography. Narrated by James Garrett.

A documentary on a pride of lions and their buffalo prey trapped on an island in the Okavango delta.

The leader of a once mighty lion pride must now battle for their very survival. Can this extraordinary lioness save her family from disaster?

The King of Beasts, the lion has an image of noble magnificence - a deadly hunter, red in both tooth and claw, to which all creatures defer. And yet, behind this facade, every lion has a history of drama, intrigue and tragedy. For seven months, award-winning filmmaker, Owen Newman, followed the lions of the Tokitok pride in Tanzania's breathtaking Ngorongoro Crater. What started out as an intimate story of lions in their full glory evolved into a record of a pride which had fallen on hard times. George Page relates the demise of the Tokitok lioness, and their two guardian males as they strive to retain their 'kingdom' and protect their cubs among the more powerful inhabit the crater.

Desert Warriors: Lions of the Namib follows a lioness and her daughters as the travel through Namibia's desert with their five male cubs. The cubs are raised without a pride male and are instructed by their mothers in hunting both large prey and small. When the elderly matriarch dies, her daughters must finish the job.

This is a powerful documentary, filmed over a 16 year span, about the rise of a Coalition of six lions, branded The Mapogo Lions, and their takeover of the largest territory by a pride.

Fifty years ago there were close to half-a-million lions in Africa. Today there are around 20,000. To make matters worse, lions, unlike elephants, which are far more numerous, have virtually no protection under government mandate or through international accords. This is the jumping-off point for a disturbing, well-researched and beautifully made cri de coeur from husband and wife team Dereck and Beverly Joubert, award-winning filmmakers from Botswana who have been Explorers-in-Residence at National Geographic for more than four years. Pointing to poaching as a primary threat while noting the lion's pride of place on the list for eco-tourists-an industry that brings in 200 billion dollars per year worldwide-the Jouberts build a solid case for both the moral duty we have to protect lions (as well as other threatened "big cats," tigers among them) and the economic sense such protection would make. And when one takes into account the fact that big cats are at the very top of the food chain-and that their elimination would wreak havoc on all species below them, causing a complete ecosystem collapse-the need takes on a supreme urgency.

National Geographic goes to Botswana to examine the struggle for survival between lions and hyenas.

Meet Mara, an endearing lion cub striving to be like her mother; Sita, a cheetah and single mother of five; and Fang, a proud leader of the pride who must defend his family from a rival lion.

Cheetahs, lions and wild dogs don't need the cover of darkness to hunt successfully. They can run so fast that they can generally catch their prey simply by chasing it across open terrain. This documentary captures the countless interactions that take place under the harsh African sun as the daytime predators hunt their prey.

The trilogy explores the diverse African landscapes that form the Lion's Kingdom, examining the iconic predator's role within each ecosystem. A captivating family viewing experience.

Study of lion behavior based on research by Craig Packer and Anne Pusey in 1987 in the Serengeti. Pursues the question of why lions are social and live in groups, then shows various methods the pair used to test their primary hypotheses. Illustrates the prevalence of infanticide among male lions and the resulting effect on the social structure of the lion. Research has shown that it is the lioness who are really running the show. The females, a tightly-knit group composed mainly of sisters and their daughters, are the owners of the territory - the hunting grounds that provide food and shelter. The males are outsiders, who have to chase off the resident males and then defend the territory for the females in exchange for the right to mate with them. With never-before filmed behavior this is a surprising new look at the Serengeti's top predator.

Follows a year in the life of two lion prides, one in Kruger National Park in South Africa, and the other in the Savuti plains of Botswana.

Africa's largest herd of elephants and a fearless pride of young lions come face to face in an epic fight for survival. Rarely do their worlds collide, until now. This is no chance conflict; nature has played its part. Drought has weakened the elephants and the lions are desperately hungry. The dawn of the giant killers has arrived.

Over eight years of filming in the northern wildernesses of Botswana, the Jouberts have now released this follow up to their famous Emmy Award winning film Eternal Enemies; Lions and Hyenas. A young pride of lions sets out on a grand adventure, leaving their safe home range and walking west into the unknown. When they finally arrive at a water hole, it is a vision of paradise, except the huge bull elephants that dominate stop them from drinking. Their first kill, a kudu, secures them a place in this territory but this strange status quo changes one day. Two huge bull elephants lock tusks in a battle. One elephant collapses and the lions come out of the shadows. What happens next changes the course of nature in this area and affects the relationship between these two ultimate of enemies as the lions develop techniques for hunting the largest animals in their range. The sensitive narration of Jeremy Irons sets the mood for this inspired film that blends scenes from nature that have never been witnessed before with a symphonic film score and poetry, creating a surreal experience. The Jouberts understand the nature of wilderness and wild things, and they reach deep inside themselves to help us experience and understand it the way they do in this film.

When it rains, it pours in Nxai Pan in northern Botswana. Lush plains scattered with vast herds of antelope stretch to the horizon. It is a veritable paradise. But Nxai Pan is a place of harsh contradictions. For when the rainy season is over, the lake dries up, leaving behind only cracked, desiccated salt pans as the desert, and its devastating heat returns. The biggest contradiction of all, then, is to call a place of such struggle "hell on earth" - because for some - this is still paradise. The lions of Nxai Pan have perfected the art of survival in some of the harshest conditions in Africa. A coalition of two mighty male lions rules this empire, their tenure spanning almost a decade. Their territory is vast, their females are loyal, and their hold on their land is ironclad. But they're getting old, and the looming dry season holds the promise of being one of the deadliest yet. Can these desert kings and their megapride dominate another dry season, or will this be their last?

In southern Africa, a pride of lions has rewritten the rules - by learning to take down elephants. In this follow up to Africa's Giant Killers, we join the pride at the start of the rainy season. As the elephants depart, a catalogue of dramatic events unfolds. The pride males turn against each other, an inexperienced mum puts her new born cubs in mortal danger, a rival group of lions challenge the pride for its territory and, when lightning strikes, fires burn day and night. When the dust eventually settles, the pride is left with only one choice - to face their old foe the elephants or risk starvation. The final showdown awaits.

Nearly 500 lions roam the vast land of Etosha National Park in Namibia, each pride guarding territory, raising young, and feasting on prey. Filmmakers Des and Jen Bartlett spent nearly five years filming the Ombika pride, a family of 19, resulting in this 1 hour documentary. They tracked their special pride of lions to record the rivalries, loyalties, and complex animal relationships. Catch a rare glimpse into the pride system, from family interactions and shared responsibilities to raising cubs and teaching them to hunt. Watch the pride's success and failures, battles and births, and encounters with elephants and the rarely seen black rhino.

How one lion family - the Ntudu pride - struggles to survive until the return of the great migration of wildebeest and zebra to the Serengeti in Africa.

For generations lions have ruled over the Londolozi region of Mpumalanga but one brotherhood reigns supreme: a coalition of two brothers descendent from a long dynasty. To get to the top they have hunted, fought and won many battles. This show follows this Brotherhood as they conquer prides, kill rivals and continue their bloodline guaranteeing their genes are firmly entrenched in future generations to come.

The dry season in northern Zimbabwe's Mana Pools National Park is as deadly as any predator. The rains stop, the temperatures rise, and the water sources evaporate, pushing herbivores past the normal boundaries of caution and into dangerous territory. Two lion families patiently await their arrival, one, a team of rookies, the other, seasoned pros, each with one shared goal: to hunt the thirsty herds. Get a remarkable look at their daily battles for survival as we take you on an action-packed journey into one of the wildest springs in Africa.

Five lion prides in Africa compete for scare food and each have adopted their own style of hunting. Follow them as they take down everything from buffalo to giraffes. Only the most cunning and capable will survive.

In a western corner of Tanzania's Serengeti, there is a paradise ruled by lions. It is called Moru and for Africa's king of cats this golden land is the ultimate inheritance. The pride is the core of lion society, consisting of female relatives and their cubs, guarded by one or more male lions. This program shows how the sisterhood copes with its neighbors, deals with male suitors, raises its cubs and tackles its prey.