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As we set out on our road trip across southern Africa, Paul lays out the stark reality facing the continent’s last-remaining wild lions and the journey ahead of us to see firsthand the perils they face. In this first episode, we leave Cape Town and head north into the world’s oldest desert and along the Skeleton Coast to encounter the extraordinary desert and marine-adapted lions that survive in one of the Earth’s most unforgiving places - and to meet the man who has spent over 32 years documenting their lives, Dr. Philip “Flip” Stander.

Traveling inland to Namibia’s Kunene Region, we head into the mountains to meet John Heydinger and the Lion Rangers, who work closely with local communities to support coexistence with lions. Continuing east into Botswana, we arrive at “Dogcamp,” the base of the Botswana Predator Conservation Trust, where young researchers and guides confront escalating challenges - from drought-driven climate pressures to rising human-lion conflict - as space and resources grow increasingly scarce for both people and wildlife.

Continuing north into the Okavango Delta, we join the CLAWS Conservancy team as they respond to problem lions in a local village and work to reduce conflict in a landscape under increasing pressure. Crossing back into Namibia’s Zambezi Region, we meet conservation pioneer Dr. Lise Hansenn and the Kwando Carnivore Project to see how kraal building and community partnerships are reducing retaliatory lion killings. The journey concludes in Nkasa Rupara with local operator Simone Micheletti, who reveals the crucial role eco-tourism plays in sustaining both communities and wildlife.

We journey into Zambia’s Kafue National Park, one of Africa’s largest and most remote wildernesses, now managed by African Parks to combat habitat loss, poaching, and human encroachment. At their headquarters, we learn about their large-scale conservation efforts before meeting Dr. Matt Becker, founder of the Zambian Carnivore Programme, who shares his science-based strategies to protect lions. The episode concludes with a boat ride up the Kafue River to visit Musekese Conservation, exploring how community engagement, education, and empowerment are helping secure a sustainable future for both people and wildlife.

Leaving Zambia’s vast Kafue landscape behind us and heading south east, we arrive in Zimbabwe at Victoria Falls, to meet Dr. Moreangels Mbizah - one of Africa’s most respected new, young voices in community-driven conservation. Zimbabwean-born and now a global advocate for lion protection and community empowerment, Moreangels shares her personal journey, her deep connection to lions, and the hope she carries for the future of her country and its people.

In Hwange National Park - a critical landscape once home to the world-famous Cecil the lion - we learn about the region’s importance from SACT’s Brian Courtenay, gain insight into Cecil’s legacy and the local lion population with guide Tendayi, and meet the park’s frontline anti-poaching unit, The Scorpions. With the debate around hunting intensifying at this stage of our journey, we travel to Bulawayo to speak with Zimbabwean big-game hunter Peter Fick, exploring how he operates and hearing his perspective on the role hunting plays in conserving lions and protecting Africa’s remaining wild spaces

We enter South Africa’s iconic Kruger National Park, meeting senior field ranger Don English to uncover the rise of poison-poaching for lion body parts and its growing black-market demand. In Skukuza, Professor Daniel Parker explains how the park’s unusual size and shape provide ecological value but also create unique conservation challenges. Finally, we join Marnus Roodbol of the Endangered Wildlife Trust, whose work monitoring lion populations across the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Area - through satellite collars, field research, and anti-poaching collaboration - offers an intimate look at the dedication required to safeguard Africa’s lions.

Our conversation with Don English continues on the future of poison-poaching in Kruger National Park, where it’s headed and strategies to combat it. We speak with the Lion Recovery Fund’s Dr. Peter Lindsey, one of the world’s foremost lion conservation experts, who offers a continent-wide perspective - revealing the challenges that keep him awake at night and the reasons he still believes Africa’s future and that of its lions is a promising one. The series concludes on a hilltop in Letaba, where Paul reflects on the road trip and shares his vision for the future of lions, leaving us with a powerful sense of both the fragility and resilience of Africa’s iconic predators.

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