Big Cat Diary, also known as Big Cat Week or Big Cat Live according to the format of the show, was a long-running nature documentary series on BBC television which follows the lives of African big cats in Kenya's Maasai Mara. The first series, broadcast on BBC One in 1996, was developed and jointly produced by Keith Scholey, who would go on to become Head of the BBC's Natural History Unit. Eight further series have followed, most recently Big Cat Live, a live broadcast from the Mara in 2008.
The original presenters, Jonathan Scott and Simon King, were joined by Saba Douglas-Hamilton from 2002 onwards. Kate Silverton and Jackson Looseyia were added to the presenting team for Big Cat Live.
Background
The BBC Natural History Unit originally wanted to film in the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania, but when this proved too expensive, they switched to Kenya. Filming is timed to coincide with the arrival of the annual wildebeest migration in the Mara, which is when the most predators gather to take advantage of abundant prey.
Each series has followed the daily lives of a lion pride, a cheetah family and a leopard family. The crew, which can number up to 60 people, use specially modified 4WD vehicles to travel around the Mara, tracking, spotting and filming the cats. The presenters also travel in the vehicles, addressing the camera as the action unfolds in front of them. They use names and develop personalities for particular cats to draw the audience into a relationship with them, creating empathy for the characters. The similarity to soap operas has led to Big Cat Diary being called "the original wildlife soap opera".
Originally intended to be a one-off series, Big Cat Diary proved so popular that a further eight series have been broadcast to date, plus occasional specials. Recent series have drawn audiences of over 7 million viewers to BBC One, and spawned a number of other programmes using the same 'Wildlife Diary' format, including Elephant Diaries (2005â€"2008), Chimp Week (2006), Big Bear Week (2006) and Orangutan Diary (2007â€"2009). For the first few series, the episodes were broadcast weekly, but since 2004, they have been shown on consecutive nights over the course of a single week. The 2004, 2005 and 2006 series were called Big Cat Week. Since 2005, the Big Cat Diary website has carried additional video footage from the field and in 2006, a spin-off series called Big Cat Uncut was broadcast on BBC Three immediately after the BBC One episodes.
On 5 October 2008, the series returned to British television screens as Big Cat Live, the BBC Natural History Unit's most ambitious live international broadcast. Host Kate Silverton and local Maasai guide Jackson Looseyia joined regular presenters King and Scott for two weeks of nightly live programmes on BBC One. Additional broadcast content included Little Big Cat on CBeebies and Big Cat Raw, a webcast hosted on BBC Online. An update programme with highlights was shown at Christmas 2008.
The BBC have yet to announce whether the series will be recommissioned.
The Big Cat Stars
The Lion Prides
The Legacy of the Marsh Pride
They have been one of the most successful groups to be filmed for the entire big cat series. The longest-standing member of the pride to be featured on the show was Khali (died in 2004 at the age of 14 years), who was eight years old when Big Cat Diary started in 1996.
As of 19 January 2010:
- The surviving cubs of the 1998 buffalo attack were the oldest lionesses in the pride: White-Eye and the blonde sisters, Bibi and Lispy. There are also the "Three Graces", Joy, Charm and Beauty, three young females who had broken away from the main pride and formed a satellite group. Three Graces are the daughters of Notch and were born in 2005. The pride has had a succession of male leaders who were filmed during the series, Scar and Scruffy (1998-2000), Simba and Blondie (2000-2004), Notch and Light Male (2004-2007), Clawed and Romeo (2007-2011). The current leaders of the pride are four males known as the "Four Musketeers" named Scarface, Sikio, Morani, and Hunter. Jackson Looseyia reported in a blog entry that Red had died.
In 2003 Bibi was kicked out of the pride and was featured on the first series of Big Cat Week as she struggled to raise her two cubs without the support of the pride, though she was later accepted back into the main Marsh Pride).
Ridge Pride's Tale
This pride has only appeared in the more recent series. The main lions in this pride are Cheza and Sala. These two are young cubs that are growing up together despite having different parents. They were one of the main features of the 2004 series. As adults, they have since joined forces with another young lion from the Ridge pride and have taken over a nearby pride. Another former member of this pride was Solo, the only survivor of a litter of 3 or 4 cubs. He left his pride well before Cheza and Sala arrived; he teamed up with one of his older cousins to take over a pride. Solo was born in 2000 and was featured in the 3rd series of Big Cat Diary in 2000 and later in 4th series in 2002.
Tamu, the Lone Mother and Her Four Cubs
The focus of the 2006 series was Tamu, a lone lioness with four cubs fathered by Notch of the Marsh Pride. In Swahili, her name means "the beautiful one" and indeed she was. Tamu was a social outcast and had to hunt and raise her cubs alone without benefits of pride's protection and without help of Notch,who is almost sure,the father of the cubs. Being alone, she faced daily hostility from Marsh Pride females,adolescent males, and, most deadly, an adult male rogue lions roaming Marsh territory. Her biggest test occurred when a solitary rogue male invaded her den to kill her cubs (which forces females into early estrus so that the rogue male lion,who eventually attacked the family and sadly,one cub died. This attack, though defended by Tamu, left one cub fatally injured and the rest scattered among the bush. Tamu was only able to collect two cubs immediately following the aftermath (one being the injured cub who ultimately died), escaping with them to a distant new den space, forcing her to abandon the remaining two cubs without knowing their fate or location. Tamu, once establishing a new den site for the one injured and one healthy cub, then persisted in her instinct to find her lost two cubs, and was forced to leave the two survivors at the new site to return to the site of the attack and search for the missing. After multiple searches over the next two and a half days, Tamu's searching was successful, and the missing two cubs were reunited with the other sole surviving sibling to the new den site where the fourth deceased cub ultimately perished. The cause of death was a fatal wound inflicted by the rogue male, and the audience watched as Tamu and the cubs investigated, licked, and acknowledged the death of their sibling. After a day Tamu moved her young into the heart of Marsh territory to a den area most frequented by the rest of the pride, in spite of the danger of being so near the Marsh Pride lionesses, who ultimately tried to oust Tamu and her cubs in attempted attacks upon her. The rationale for this decision is that although she is endangered by this decision, her cubs would be spared by Notch, the pride male who fathered the cubs.
Lions of the Big Pride
Big Pride is also known as Acacia Pride or Gorge Pride and they were filmed in 1996, in the 1st series of the show with an incredible numbers of 28 lions.However,they were not continued to be followed in further seasons.
Cheetahs in the Hostile World
Kidogo and Her Two Cubs
In the 1st series in 1996, the show followed first-time mother Kidogo and her contributions to protect her two 12-weeks old cubs. While most cheetahs focus their hunting during the day, Kidogo was noted for waking and hunting late in the day. In one of Big Cat Diary's few episodes filmed at night, Kidogo and cubs are watched as they come dangerously close to hunting lions. One of the most dramatic events in this series was when one of the cubs got its leg caught in a tree for several agonizing minutes. She eventually freed herself with no apparent damage to the leg.
Fundi and Her Two Cubs
Fundi was also part of the 1st series and never continued for the years of further series. Fundi hunted regularly in thick acacia trees to keep her two adolescent cubs well-fed, unusual for cheetahs who usually hunt on open plains. Fundi means "craftsman" in Swahili and she really was a craftman in her unique hunting technique. Just after Simon noticed that the male cub was limping, the crew lost Fundi and cubs for a while.
Amber and Her Cubs (sometimes known as Queen)
Amber was first seen in the 2nd series of the show in September 1998 as mother to three cubs of 16 months old. She was habituated to use cars as vantage points to spot danger or prey. She was last seen and filmed in later October 2000 during the 3rd series of the show.
Kimbia, The Territorial Male
Kimbia was the territorial male cheetah of Amber's home range, filmed in 3rd Big Cat Diary in Septemberâ€"October 2000. Significantly,the meaning of his name suggests "the race" in Swahili.
Kike and Her Three Cubs
Amber's daughter Kike (pronounced "Kee-Kay") returned in the first series of Big Cat Week in September 2003. Discovered at Rhino Ridge, Kike was mother to three cubs of nearly 9 months old. This was Kike's fourth litter, but she had not previously raised even a single cub successfully to adulthood. Like her mother Amber had done, Kike used the jeeps as vantage points to watch for danger or prey and even occasionally used as toilets! The three cubs went on to appear in the 2004's Big Cat Week. In an October 2008 webcast of Big Cat Raw, Jonathan Scott explained that given Kike's age and that she had not been spotted recently, she had probably died. He confirmed that her three cubs have survived and that her daughter Itchy has raised cubs of her own. Itchy was filmed in the 1st series of Planet Earth, and it is believed that another daughter of hers, named Serena, is mother of Malaika, the cheetah.
Honey and Her Cubs Including Toto
Honey first featured on Big Cat Diary in 2002 as a capable first time mother of three tiny cubs of nearly 8 weeks old, even to the point of seeing off a male lion to keep them safe. For 2005's Big Cat Week, viewers were introduced to her young cub, Toto, a Swahili word meaning "the little one". Honey was not mentioned on screen as Toto's mother because this was not known until after the series was filmed. When he was first filmed, it was estimated that Toto was only 6â€"8 weeks old, making him the youngest cheetah cub ever to be filmed on Big Cat Diary. Keeping Toto alive seemed to be a constant battle for his mother: he survived close encounters with baboons, lions, and other dangers. It is estimated that only 25% of cheetah cubs make it to maturity.
In the final episode of the series, Toto went missing overnight after a storm, and was not found. It was reported a few days later that Honey was found living alone. Nobody knows what exactly happened, but Toto had not survived. The end credits that year consisted entirely of footage of Toto.
Honey returned in the 2006, 4th series. When filming began, she had four cubs, but one, a female, was soon lost in a lion attack. The cub was last seen alive feasting when Jonathan Scott noted that Honey was being risky by letting her cubs feed for so long. The cub was found dead on the next day of filming, in a thicket of grass.
In February 2007, nearly a year before she last appeared on screen, Honey was killed after a vet accidentally shot her in the wrong place with a tranquilizer dart. The dart did not go into the muscle but hit her in the stomach near her kidneys. Oblivious to his mistake, the vet went on to treat Honey's cub while she was left out in the scorching afternoon sun.
In April 2008, Honey's three remaining cubs, all males, were still doing well and named as Snap (M-1), Crackle (M-2) and Pop (M-3). After Honey's death, the Mara Conservancy had to provide food for them for several months. However, they were now fully grown and could hunt together and had become self-sufficient. It is believed they had even taken down an adult topi. They had also been seen hunting zebra, a risky prey species for cheetah due to their kicking hooves.
In October 2008, Honey's three now fully grown sons were filmed during Big Cat Live. They had all formed a strong bond and are actively seeking to mate with females. Unfortunately, this led to them having a confrontation with Shakira and her cubs. Eventually, Crackle (M-2) was killed by lions in 2011 and just two years later in 2013, Pop (M-3) also became the victim of lions. Snap (M-1) was named as "Mjuzi" which means "the last survivor" in Swahili. He was last spotted in April 2013.
Shakira and Her Cubs Including Duma
In 2005's Big Cat Week, Jonathan Scott (while following the story of Honey and Toto) introduced viewers to Duma and her mother (later named Shakira). In Big Cat Diary: Family Histories, Duma and Toto's Story, Scott told the story of Duma in more detail, revealing the moment she left her mother to become independent.
In Big Cat Live in 2008, Scott again followed the story of Shakira. This time however, Shakira had 5 cubs of nearly 2 months old. They faced a terrible encounter with some of the lions of Marsh pride including Romeo, the pride male. Just after this incident two of the cubs died during the series (possibly killed by hyenas). So far, the three remaining cubs, all female, have survived. The cubs have been called Moja, Mbili and Tatu, meaning "one", "two" and "three" in Swahili.
The Leopard Stars of Mara
Legacy of the Leopard Gorge
Big Cat Diary only followed one leopard family through each generation. This family started with Half-Tail, a 9-year-old female in 1996, one of the most famous big cats who appeared on the show for quite a few years. She was named Half-Tail after a clash with baboons or lions in which she lost half her tail. This incident happened in 1993 when she was about 6 years old. She is the only leopard in the show who was not shown killing any large prey on screen. Half-Tail only ever managed to raise three cubs. Beauty (born in 1992) and Shadow (born in 1996) were her daughters and were both featured in the 1st series. She also raised a male cub called Mang'aa. Half-Tail had her sixth (final) litter of cubs in 1998 when she was nearly 11 years old but was killed when she attacked Maasai livestock. As her cubs were too young to feed themselves they died shortly afterwards. Shadow was to be the next leopard they followed and she went on to have a cub herself called Safi in 2000, who was rather shy of the cameras. Safi was born in January 2000. When the show returned in 2002, Shadow had a new litter of cubs. This was her 4th litter but, sadly, all of them died. In 2003 a new family was chosen, ending the line. Shadow was filmed briefly for Big Cat Week, Series-3 in 2005 (broadcast in 2006); however the footage was not shown during that series. The footage would later air in a special documentary called The Big Story (10th anniversary celebration of Big Cat Diary).
Bella and Her Extended Family
Bella and her two cubs of 3 months old were found by presenter Saba Douglas-Hamilton in the 1st series of Big Cat Week in September,2003. Tiny Chui and his sister really provided a promising series. Months after filming ended, Chui's sister vanished. It later became clear she was dead, probably killed by lions. In 2005, the public and crew said goodbye to Chui and saw what should have been the final shots of them together, as he would leave Bella's side and protection sometime after filming. In October 2006, it was announced on their website that Chui had now been chased away by the resident male and Bella was now mating again. Chui has now been reported to have moved to a new territory downriver, where he was seen mating with a new female in Bella's adjacent territory. In Big Cat Live, viewers were introduced to Olive. Olive is Bella's daughter from 2000, before Chui was born. Olive has three cubs, one male, eight-month-old Kali, and two females, Ayah and Binti, independent from their mother. Bella, Olive, Ayah, Binti and Kali were nicknamed the "Jackson Five" after new presenter Jackson Looseyia, who was following their progress. The names Olive, Kali, Binti and Ayah were given to these leopards by Paul Kirui, veteran safari guide and a spotter for the leopard filming crew since 2006. The "Jackson Five" is intriguing because three generations of these normally solitary cats are living together.
On 2 September 2009, Looseyia posted on his blog a picture of Olive carrying a cub in her mouth. She has a new litter of cubs. Looseyia stated it would appear to be two cubs. Kali has been chased away by Olive. Bella has since died.
Olive was killed by lions in September 2013.
Mara Triangle Conservancy has recently spotted Chui in Mara. He moved to Mara about 6 years ago and he is 10 yrs old now.
International broadcasters
- Australia - Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Ten Network
- Belgium - Eén
- Canada - Animal Planet
- Estonia - Eesti Televisioon
- France - France 5
- Japan - Animal Planet Japan
- Mexico - Canal 40
- Netherlands - Animal Planet
- Portugal - SIC
- Russia - Animal Planet, TV Kultura
- Sweden - Animal Planet
- Taiwan - Animal Planet (動物星çƒé »é")
- Turkey - TRT 1
- United States - Animal Planet
- India - Animal Planet
Related series
The BBC Natural History Unit has used the diary format popularised by Big Cat Diary for a number of related series. They include:
Elephant Diaries
Elephant Diaries went behind the scenes at a sanctuary for orphaned African bush elephants run by the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust. Michaela Strachan and Jonathan Scott presented both series, which were broadcast in 2005 and 2008.
Orangutan Diary
Two series of Orangutan Diary were aired; the first was shown in April 2007. It was filmed at the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation and showed the lives of rescued orangutans. A second series was shown in 2009, consisting of six one-hour shows. Both series were presented by Michaela Strachan and Steve Leonard.
Big Bear Week
Presenters followed the three species of bear native to North America for this one-off series. Jonathan Scott followed brown bears in Alaska, Saba Douglas-Hamilton observed polar bears in Churchill, Manitoba and Jeff Turner tracked American black bears in British Columbia. They were all situated in different parts of Canada. Big Bear Week was broadcast in the summer of 2006 on BBC One, soon after the third series of Big Cat Week.
Chimp Week
Filmed over eight years, Chimp Week followed the lives of two family groups of chimpanzees in Gombe Stream National Park in Tanzania. It was narrated by Jonathan Scott and broadcast in January 2006.
Merchandise
Currently available on Region 2 DVD are the 2004, 2005 and 2006 series of Big Cat Week (packaged as series 1 to 3, with series 1 and 2 being packaged together), the 2007 series of Big Cat Diary (packaged as series 4 of Big Cat Week) and highlights from Big Cat Live (packaged as Big Cat Special). There is also a trilogy of books written by Jonathan and Angela Scott, with each focusing on the stories concerning the lions, cheetahs and leopards of the 'Big Cat Diary' format of the show.
In 2012, Seasons 1 and 2 of the original Big Cat Diary show was made available to download on iTunes and Amazon's Instant Video services. These episodes are DVD quality or better, however no DVD or any other physical media are available for these two seasons. Additionally, Seasons 3 and 4 of the original Big Cat Diary series are not available at all as of August 2012.
The name and format of the show has changed several times throughout the life of the Big Cat show. The following table illustrates the TV air dates and DVD release dates (if applicable) of each of the seasons.
References
External links
- Big Cat Diary at BBC Programmes
- Big Cat Diary on IMDb
- Big Cat Live at BBC Online
- Orangutan Diary at BBC Online
- Elephant Diaries at BBC Online
- Chimp Week at BBC Online
- Big Cat Live cameraman's blog
- The Mara Conservancy Blog: The Mara Triangle
- Relive some of Jonathan Scott's best Big Cat moments on BBC Nature