Big Cat Diary

The most elusive of the big cats is the leopard. In the Masai Mara, a large female called Half-tail lives with her eight month-old cub. Both are less secretive than most leopards. They move around by day and are easily spotted by the well-trained eye. At the Northern end of the reserve is a cheetah mother with two three-month-old cubs. When last seen, they were living perilously close to the territory of a male lion.

Torrential storms have turned the short grass plains into a quagmire, and the Big Cat Diary team can only hope that the rains will stop so that they can continue their vigil after sun-down. By day, the routines of the big cats have become clearer, but what do these animals do in the dead of night? Equipped with night vision goggles and using special infra-red cameras, the Big Cat Diary team unravel some of the answers as they move around the bush in complete darkness.

Fundi the cheetah and her two cubs have gone missing and the search is on to find them. When last seen, one of the cubs had developed a limp.This could be a crucial week for the family. Half-tail the leopard and her cub are less elusive. Most days they were spotted around the gorge close to the heart of their territory. The cub is playful, and quite undeterred by the unseasonal, stormy weather. The lions are also posing problems for the Big Cat Diary team. One pride has dispersed, but two impressive new males have moved in. Nearby, a herd of zebras is cashing in on the fresh grazing, which means a lion hunt could well be on the cards.

Simon King, Jonathan Scott and the Big Cat Diary team have now been tracking the cheetahs, lions and leopards of the Masai Mara for four weeks. Every day, the individual animals and their habits are becoming more familiar. The wildebeest migration is now at its height. There is also wonderful footage of the female leopard Half-tail and her surviving nine month-old cub hunting and playing by day and night. Kidogo, the cheetah mother, must keep clear of the neighbouring lion pride as she searches for food for her two young cubs. Meanwhile, some lions are killing the cubs so the females come on heat again.

In the last episode, Fundi the cheetah finally reappeared. She and her cubs now seem in good shape, but will they stay in sight? Presenters Simon King and Jonathan Scott spend every daylight hour unravelling the character and the habits of the big cats they have been following for the last five weeks. With the aid of infra-red light they continue their vigil into the night.

In the final programme, presenters Simon King and Jonathan Scott say a sad farewell to the big cats they have grown to know and love over the last six weeks in the Masai Mara.