Plot

A documentary which follows two lion brothers as they become rules of a pride in Botswana after a battle for dominance.

In a remote area of northern Botswana, two lion brothers emerge victorious as undisputed rulers of a formidable pride after a ferocious battle for dominance. As the lions struggle to survive through a harsh drought, will the shortage of the their main prey, buffalo, lead to the breakup of the pride or will the elephants of the area provide salvation?

In a remote area of Botswanas Okavango Delta, two lion brothers emerge victorious as undisputed rulers of a large and formidable pride after a ferocious battle for dominance. The new rulers bring security to this competitive, predator-rich area and five of the six lionesses soon give birth to thirteen cubs within a short space of time.

Pride in Battle is the epic story of the rapidly growing Xakanaxa pride as it battles to survive through one of the Okavangos harshest winters. Twenty-one adults and cubs now make up the group, and because of such a rapid expansion in their numbers, the adults concentrate their hunting efforts on the prey guaranteed to provide the most food buffalo. A deadly game of cat and mouse ensues.

But when the buffalo, driven by the need to find fresh grazing, move beyond the boundary of Xakanaxa, the lions cannot follow into the territory of an enemy pride. Almost overnight, they lose their main source of food.

Further pressure is added to the pride when the sixth lioness gives birth to another two cubs. Born during the harshest time of the dry season, these cubs are unable to keep up with the main group on their relentless search for prey. Tragedy unfolds as the pride becomes increasingly depleted and starvation sets in.

In desperation, the lionesses finally turn on the elephants of the region in a frantic bid for survival. After their first kill, they quickly develop a taste for elephant flesh. Within the space of a month, they kill five more and we see how their effective hunting strategy is adapted to pursue this unusual and potentially dangerous prey. But the elephants are also cunning and quickly adopt their own tactics to resist the new and unexpected onslaught.

Just when the situation is becoming hopeless for the emaciated pride, the buffalo return with the onset of the summer rains and a brutal killing spree ensues as the lions feast. For the Xakanxa pride, it is a time of plenty again.

Having overcome the challenges that the seasons have thrown in their path, the surviving members of the pride have won this particular battle. But in the unpredictable Okavango, their future will never be certain.