The Mystery of India's Elusive Big Cats (Full Episode) | Big Cat Kingdom

Wild cats. They are marvels of evolution, with lightning-fast reflexes, detonating muscle power and extraordinary senses. All part of the package of being a super predator. In India, wild cats occupy every landscape, from the snow-capped peaks of the Himalaya to the dense jungles of the western Ghats. India's big cats have kept up with a rapidly changing landscape and live alongside a growing human population. Sometimes in harmony and sometimes in conflict. A landscape so unapproachable that humans left it alone as the home of the gods. These high mountains, created by impact and shaped by the forces of sun, wind and water, are one of the least populated places on earth. But even here, in this barren landscape of boulders and ice, life exists. The top cat in this desolate landscape is the snow leopard. Large, fur-lined paws act as snowshoes. And a thick, furry tail, nearly the same length as its body, not only provides balance, but also acts like a warm scarf. Its compact body, small ears and a double layer of thick fur help minimize heat loss. Large nasal cavities and well-developed lungs compensate for the thin air. All this, combined with a special gene, allow these super cats to rule over their vast mountain landscape. But in winter, when the temperature plummets far below zero and deep snow makes passage difficult, snow leopards need to move to parts of the mountain with less snow. Their main prey in this area, the oriole and the ibex, have already moved. With food so scarce, there's demand for every morsel. He's not watching the oriole. He's plotting an easier meal. Perched at 13,000 feet at the edge of the snow line is the little village of Ule. A few houses, a dozen people, some sheep, and yak-cow hybrids called zor. They live as they have for several centuries. They know their feline neighbor well. In the local language, they call it Shan. Gray as the mountains, elusive as a ghost, the Shan watches his neighbors from a hilltop vantage point. As night falls on Ule, he descends, waiting until the village sleeps. Then, under the cover of darkness, makes his kill. A young zor is his prize. But at nearly twice its weight, the snow leopard can't carry it very far. He eats what he can and returns to his rocky abode. In these open mountains, it's impossible to hide a kill. The commotion attracts the attention of another super predator, the wolf. The gray wolf in the Himalaya weighs about the same as an adult snow leopard. But wolves rarely travel alone. The pair could overpower the solitary cat. The snow leopard stands down and can only watch as the wolves eat their fill. No sooner have they left, a red fox begins to devour what he can. With food so scarce, he can't afford to miss any opportunity. But it's hard to eat a meal in peace when you could be a meal yourself. It's time for the Shan to reclaim his kill from the canine scavengers. But more scavengers wait in the wings. Magpies. The snow leopard has already lost enough. He's in no mood for sharing. The pesky magpies don't give him a moment's peace. Eventually, the Shan gets fed. The best meat now eaten. The Shan abandons the kill and leaves the cleanup crew to squabble over the remains. The majority of India's snow leopards live with humans and livestock outside protected areas. With an estimated worldwide population as low as 4,000, it's hard to know what the future holds for snow leopards. They've adapted to thrive in the cool high mountains of Central Asia and the Himalaya. But this may no longer be the abode of eternal snow. Rising temperatures threaten the habitat. For now, the grey ghost of the mountains is still the top cat, living precariously on the roof of the world. Off the mountain peaks and adapting to a changing India, roams another big cat. Able to carve out a niche from cities and suburbs to jungles and yet stay nearly invisible. The leopard has the greatest range of all the eight species of big cats and is found across much of Africa and Asia. One place they are seen more frequently than any other is in the dry rocky boulders of southwestern Rajasthan. Here, the great Indian desert meets the Aravali, one of the oldest mountain ranges in the world. These granite hills riddled with channels and fissures provide refuge to numerous animals and form the perfect den for these leopard cubs. Born blind and helpless, the cubs must wait for about a week to get their first look at the world. Every few days their mother moves them. Their buildup of scent in the den could attract unwanted attention, but getting them on board is literally like herding cats. This palace of boulders is ruled by Katia. Named after a battle scar he earned while clawing his way to power. He is the father of the cubs and the undisputed king, but at over 10 years old his power is waning. And other males wait for any sign of weakness so they can pounce into power. They watch his every move, as do the peafowl and the rabari. These nomadic people have lived here with their livestock for generations under a curse. Legend has it that a saint once lived here in the hills. When a rabari's goat disturbed his meditation, the holy man cursed the land. Leopards would stalk the rabari forever. The rabari accept their loss as an offering to the gods of these hills. This male, now in his prime, has trespassed into Katia's territory and makes himself at home. On the other side of the hill, Katia is busy marking his domain, unaware of the intruder. For cats, spraying urine is like posting on social media. It lets leopards know about each other and advertises females ready to mate. To assert his dominance, the new male will want to kill Katia's cubs. Securing a chance to mate with their mother and further his own bloodline. But not on her watch. This mother will do anything to protect her cubs. She's tough, and like all mother leopards, she can make it on her own. But Katia has his own business with the young male. They meet head-on. Leopard turf wars can be fights to the death. There's tension in the air. Can Katia defend his turf against the more aggressive male? Years of experience defending his turf has taught Katia to study his challengers every move. The lord of the leopards is only as good as his last fight. For now, Katia has defended his domain and will continue to rule. The young male slinks off to make his own territory elsewhere. For a highly adaptable cat like a leopard, that's not a problem. Leopards, the widest ranging of all big cats, have learned to live alongside other big cats. Even lions. Just 200 years ago, these lions roamed the vast expanse between Greece and Syria to India. Today, a relic population of the Asiatic lions survives here. Hunting and habitat loss had reduced their numbers to less than a dozen. The Nawab of Junagadh protected these last lions in Gir, his royal hunting preserve. Now a national park in the western state of Gujarat, Gir is the Asiatic lion's last stronghold. The state forest department tirelessly works to ensure their survival. They don't look that different from their African counterparts. Males typically have a smaller mane, but the most distinctive difference is the skin fold that runs along the Asiatic lion's belly. These lions also live in smaller prides. Summer temperatures in the dry forests of Gir can soar beyond 110 degrees Fahrenheit. With most natural water sources drying up, the park management provides fresh drinking water. These man-made watering holes become the centers of activity. The lions never stray too far, but they haven't come just to drink. Spotted deer, known as chital, are the most common deer across the forested parts of the country. And with a healthy population of chital in Gir, some are destined to become lion food. But with so many eyes watching, it's hard for lions to sneak up unless the deer are distracted. These young stags practice for the rut. Unaware of the lions. A lioness will make a kill on average about once a week. Able to consume up to 20% of their body weight in a single sitting, this 150-pound chital carcass will feed the lioness for three to four days. With a young male joining in, this meal won't last long. They need to eat fast. The roar of another lion can be heard a few miles away, announcing his presence. Male lions announce themselves with a roar. A square vocal fold helps create one of the loudest calls in the animal kingdom. Heard up to five miles away. With a female in heat in the neighborhood, he'll have to follow his nose until he finds her. It all comes down to a little bit of chemistry. The lioness leaves behind chemical cues in her urine. These pheromones activate the phlegmon response. All cats do this, though it looks aggressive. It's just the lion's way of drawing in the scent over the Jacobson's organ on the roof of his mouth. That tells him if she's ready to mate. Even under the best conditions, mating is a matter of quantity over quality. In three days, this lioness will mate over 100 times with multiple males. A strategy, perhaps, to prevent infanticide. Four months later, the lioness has had her litter, usually two to four cubs. This youngster, hungry and wobbly after a nap, comes to suckle. She'll have to find her own mother. In Guia, in these small prides, usually only one cub lives to see its first birthday. Even so, the Asiatic lion, the only lion outside of Africa, is slowly making a comeback. Now numbering more than 500, they've spread beyond the boundaries of the park to roam nearly 8,000 square miles across southern Gujarat. A remarkable comeback for a big cat that teetered on the brink of extinction. While lions adorn India's official emblem, it is the tiger, the very image of royalty, that is India's national animal. For millennia, they have ruled the forests and grasslands across the country. In the 1900s, about 100,000 tigers prowled across Asia. Their numbers have dropped to fewer than 4,000 worldwide, and 70% of them live in India. Rantambore Tiger Reserve, in northern India. Once a royal hunting preserve, Rantambore's rugged 550 square mile wilderness is a natural paradise. A paradise that has everything the world's largest cat needs. Dense cover to blend in, an abundance of deer to feed on, and ample sources of fresh water to cool off. All of this has made Rantambore home to 70 tigers, some of whom are among the world's most iconic. The most famous of them was Machli, the tiger queen. The heroine of several films, Machli attracted visitors from all over the world. Mother to four litters of cubs, Machli lived for 19 years, amongst the longest of any wild tiger. Now her daughters and granddaughters carry on her dynasty. Krishna, Machli's daughter from her fourth litter, has now inherited her mother's former territory, the best in Rantambore, and is the new queen of the lakes. Being a successful mother is in her genes, and she has just finished raising her second litter. To adulthood, the two female cubs, Lightning and Arrowhead, are independent, making their own kills, whereas Pac-Man, their brother, is still learning the art of hunting. But at two years, he needs to learn to be independent, to go and carve out his own territory. With stealth, focus, and pads that absorb sound, Krishna prepares to strike. These play fights are not what they used to be. By cutting off her ties, Krishna is teaching him to be independent, the most important life lesson. Male tigers can weigh well over 500 pounds. They are the largest of all big cats, and the biggest threat to a dispersing young male. Pac-Man will have to learn to steer clear of other tigers. Krishna travels across her kingdom, marking the trees. Her scent-rich urine warns other tigers that this territory is taken. Now, with her new litter of three cubs, Krishna needs to keep them close to ensure their safety. A new queen is preparing to challenge the throne. At Rantambore, the royal power around the lakes has shifted. Pac-Man's sister, Arrowhead, is now the queen of the lake territory. Krishna, being the gracious mother that she is, has left this prime real estate to her daughter. She's moved to the hilly outer ridge of the lakes to raise her third litter of cubs. This was once her territory, and she knows it well. Krishna's cubs, now a year old, still depend on her to teach them essential survival skills. Lesson one, stay put while she hunts. The dense foliage is good for concealment, but also prevents making a direct strike. Even for an experienced tiger mother like Krishna, most hunts end in failure. The cubs hold their position. But not for long. Play fighting is a good way to pass time. Krishna returns empty-handed. Lesson two, learning the trails from one ravine to the next. The cubs will need to build a mental map of the water holes in the area. In the punishing temperatures of the summer dry season, finding water and being able to cool off is critical for survival. Not only are these watering holes good for hunting, they are also places to cool down in the midday heat. Having evolved in the cool northern climates, tigers are not well adapted to such high temperatures. Unlike most other big cats, tigers love water. Rubbing cheeks helps spread pheromones that build family bonds. And playtime hones observation skills. Even a tiny palm squirrel needs to be wary of this hunter-in-training. For the next year, Krishna will need to feed, train and protect her young family. Not an easy task, even for a seasoned mother. With this new generation, Krishna is ensuring that Machli's powerful legacy continues to grow. And Rantambur remains a tiger paradise. As tigers battle for prime territory in India's wild spaces, those wild spaces themselves are getting ever harder to find. For now, India's big cats are holding their own. But that wasn't always the case. Cheetah once inhabited India. But by the middle of the 20th century, they were wiped out. Many of India's other big cats nearly went the same way. But the future is starting to improve. Human pressure is the biggest threat to India's big cats. And it will take human resolve and intervention in order to save them.