Public Media from Michigan State University

The Leopard Legacy | Nature

The young leopard male Makumbi carefully observes his surroundings. Zambia, Africa.
Courtesy of Will Steenkamp / © Into Nature Productions

Wed. Apr. 14 at 8pm on WKAR-HD 23.1 & STREAMING | Follow the story of a leopard mother as she raises her cubs near the Luangwa River.A confident and powerful leopardess called Olimba rules over an exceptionally large area along Zambia’s Luangwa River. She is a formidable hunter, a courageous ruler and a devoted mother. She has just given birth to two tiny cubs, and as she faces the challenging task of motherhood, it is a constant battle to hunt successfully, to defend her prime territory and to protect her cubs against enemies. One day, Olimba discovers a nomadic male leopard near her cubs, and without hesitation, she attacks him.

He makes a lucky escape, but when Olimba returns to the den, one of her cubs is gone. As she comes to terms with her loss, Olimba forges on as a devoted mother and passes on all her knowledge to her blue-eyed boy, named Makumbi. When he is one year old and succeeds in hunting his own prey, Olimba must part ways with her son. Their final hostile encounter leaves the youngster vulnerable with a dreadful eye injury. Will his resilience and fighting spirit help him overcome this injury?

Watch each episode at video.wkar.org during or after the premiere date.

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