'The Last Lions' Documentary Traces Botswana Lioness, Her Cu

A new documentary from National Geographic¹ traces the dramatic story of a lioness and her cubs² struggling to survive in the Okavango Delta³ of Botswana. Here's a look at The Last Lions.
"Two mothers now battle for the survival of their young: buffalo⁴ desperate to deflect⁵ an attack, lioness eager to double back and strike quick, fatal blows to earn a meal for her cubs. It is the eternal dance of Africa."
Oscar-winning actor Jeremy Irons narrates⁶ the remarkable⁷ story of the big cat that earns the nickname "Ma di Tau" or "Mother of Lions." Her mate is killed by a rival pride looking to expand its territory, leaving Ma di Tau to protect her three cubs and find a new home.
"Till today she had only time to focus on escape and survival, but now she must find a way to get her cubs safely through their first critical year until they can fend⁸ for themselves. As a single mother, this will take every ounce of her energy and intelligence."
National Geographic
Defying long-held beliefs about lions, Ma di Tau takes her brood across the water to an island in the Okavango Delta as she searches for safety and food. The married filmmaking team of Beverly and Dereck Joubert follows the lioness to chronicle her struggle.
"It is interesting as a film because it is not all fun and laughter all the way through," explains Joubert. "So we felt as though everybody enjoyed the journey of the lioness: the pain and the happiness as well, all in one."
National Geographic
Film maker⁹ Dereck Joubert
Director, writer and cinematographer Dereck Joubert says they spent more than four years and used skills honed over three decades of wildlife filmmaking in Africa to capture these breathtaking close-up scenes of life and death in the delta.
"We tried very, very hard to show an intimacy¹⁰, not just between ourselves and the subject, but within the subject and whoever she interacts with," he explains. "So we have to do the time. We just have to be there."
"As Dereck said, time is important and an immense amount of patience and, of course, we have to be living the life of those lions in many ways," adds co-producer and photographer Beverly Joubert.
Jacques Nortier
Filmmakers Dereck and Beverly Joubert
She says the 18- hour daily filming schedule was determined¹¹ by the lions, which were not the only challenges to recording¹² the story.
"Because these lions are wading¹³ through water, crossing channels and swimming, following the buffalo, we actually have to do the same to get the unusual footage," explains Beverly. "And at times our hearts are in our throats, I can tell you, because it is the unknown. Once or twice we did have tragic¹⁴ moments. The one that comes to mind and was not so long ago was that we drowned the vehicle.
"We literally¹⁵ submerged our vehicle with all the camera gear, $2 million worth of camera gear," she recalls, "and it was a very tense time. Once we managed to dive and get the cameras and throw them on top of the roof of the car, Dereck had to swim the river. This is a river we had been filming crocodiles. So at times it is tense and at times we know we're are in a dangerous situation, but that's what it takes to be able to capture the footage."
The dramatic story of this lioness in Botswana represents the plight¹⁶ of all Africa's big cats. In the 1960's, the continent's lion population was estimated at almost half-a-million. Today they are only 20,000 in the wild due to hunting, poaching and humans swallowing up their habitat. Dereck and Beverly Joubert worry that the film's title, "The Last Lions," could be prophetic.
National Geographic
Scene from "The Last Lions"
"The problem that lions have is that they are these great, iconic animals and everybody thinks somebody is taking care of them," notes Dereck. "In our lifetime, having seen them go from 450,000 down to 20,000, we know that these things will be extinct within 10 or 15 years. So this is not just a local problem, not just a South African or Botswana problem. This is a global issue. I also think that as filmmakers the time has come and gone where we can just document these things and say our job is done. What we are doing is using whatever skills we have to become a voice and we are hoping that people see our film and celebrate these lions and then get involved with lion conservation."
"This film is saying we cherish and we respect and let's be responsible to try and preserve what we do have, because if we lose them we are actually damaging our own world and I think we do have to inspire people through moving them emotionally to care before we can take the action," Joubert says.
"Her cubs' survival is a hard taskmaster for her and despite the searing heat and humidity she forces herself up again back onto the path of the buffalo. She seems to understand that the herd¹⁷ will provide if she can just crack that code."
The Last Lions is part of the "Big Cats Initiative" launched by Beverly and Dereck Joubert and National Geographic to raise public awareness¹⁸ about the threats to these remarkable creatures.

1 geographic   

adj.地理学的，地理的

参考例句：

• The city's success owes much to its geographic position. 这座城市的成功很大程度上归功于它的地理位置。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Environmental problems pay no heed to these geographic lines. 环境问题并不理会这些地理界限。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

2 cubs   

n.幼小的兽，不懂规矩的年轻人( cub的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a lioness guarding her cubs 守护幼崽的母狮
• Lion cubs depend on their mother to feed them. 狮子的幼仔依靠母狮喂养。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 delta   

n.（流的）角洲

参考例句：

• He has been to the delta of the Nile.他曾去过尼罗河三角洲。
• The Nile divides at its mouth and forms a delta.尼罗河在河口分岔，形成了一个三角洲。

4 buffalo   

n.(北美)野牛；(亚洲)水牛

参考例句：

• Asian buffalo isn't as wild as that of America's. 亚洲水牛比美洲水牛温顺些。
• The boots are made of buffalo hide. 这双靴子是由水牛皮制成的。

5 deflect   

v.(使)偏斜，(使)偏离，(使)转向

参考例句：

• Never let a little problem deflect you.决不要因一点小问题就半途而废。
• They decided to deflect from the original plan.他们决定改变原计划。

6 narrates   

v.故事( narrate的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• It narrates the unconstitutional acts of James II. 它历数了詹姆斯二世的违法行为。 来自辞典例句
• Chapter three narrates the economy activity which Jew return the Occident. 第三章讲述了犹太人重返西欧后的经济活动。 来自互联网

7 remarkable   

adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的

参考例句：

• She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。
• These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。

8 fend   

v.照料（自己），（自己）谋生，挡开，避开

参考例句：

• I've had to fend for myself since I was 14.我从十四岁时起就不得不照料自己。
• He raised his arm up to fend branches from his eyes.他举手将树枝从他眼前挡开。

9 maker   

n.制造者，制造商

参考例句：

• He is a trouble maker，You must be distant with him.他是个捣蛋鬼，你不要跟他在一起。
• A cabinet maker must be a master craftsman.家具木工必须是技艺高超的手艺人。

10 intimacy   

n.熟悉，亲密，密切关系，亲昵的言行

参考例句：

• His claims to an intimacy with the President are somewhat exaggerated.他声称自己与总统关系密切，这有点言过其实。
• I wish there were a rule book for intimacy.我希望能有个关于亲密的规则。

11 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

12 recording   

n.录音，记录

参考例句：

• How long will the recording of the song take?录下这首歌得花多少时间？
• I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。

13 wading   

（从水、泥等）蹚，走过，跋( wade的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The man tucked up his trousers for wading. 那人卷起裤子，准备涉水。
• The children were wading in the sea. 孩子们在海水中走着。

14 tragic   

adj.悲剧的，悲剧性的，悲惨的

参考例句：

• The effect of the pollution on the beaches is absolutely tragic.污染海滩后果可悲。
• Charles was a man doomed to tragic issues.查理是个注定不得善终的人。

15 literally   

adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实

参考例句：

• He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
• Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候，她不走到真正要昏厥了，决不肯坐下来。

16 plight   

n.困境，境况，誓约，艰难；vt.宣誓，保证，约定

参考例句：

• The leader was much concerned over the plight of the refugees.那位领袖对难民的困境很担忧。
• She was in a most helpless plight.她真不知如何是好。

17 herd   

n.兽群，牧群；vt.使集中，把…赶在一起

参考例句：

• She drove the herd of cattle through the wilderness.她赶着牛群穿过荒野。
• He had no opinions of his own but simply follow the herd.他从无主见，只是人云亦云。

18 awareness   

n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智

参考例句：

• There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
• Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。