Africa's Hunters

An old Leopard struggles to find a meal while avoiding a pride of lions.

An aging leopard in Zambia is challenged by a younger female.

Lions along the Luangwe River raise their cubs.

SMITHSONIAN. A six-week-old lion cub gets separated from his pride and has to face the nighttime terrors of the African bush. Cub-hungry predators, dehydration, and rival lions instinctively primed to kill are just some of the threats ahead. Can this intrepid little misfit find his way back to safety, or will the harsh rules of the wild prevail?

Spotted Hyenas on the Liuwa Plains in western Zambia.