So how has this new strain of lion developed? To answer this question, the South African husband-and-wife film-makers Beverly and Dereck Joubert spent two years tracking their prey in order to capture evolution in the making. These huge lions are adapting and breeding in isolation on an island in a river that goes nowhere." But these lions are defying that trend by becoming specialists. Evolution favours predators that can hunt a range of prey.
"They are cats that live in water and hunt a single herd of Cape buffalo. "There is an unusual pride of lions stalking these swamps," he says.
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Irons, who most famously starred in the TV series Brideshead Revisited, describes the scene in this 'magical world', where two great warriors live side by side in the most beautiful terrain. For during the investigation into the Duba lions, it emerged that a killer is embedded in their midst - a threat which might eventually spell the end of this incredible biological journey and the lion's quest for survival. It also delves into a dark secret at the heart of this special community of lions. A new film, Relentless Enemies, will tell the story of the emergence of a distinct subspecies of big cat on a tiny and isolated island in the Duba Plains of Botswana's Okavango Delta. In a remote corner of Africa, an extraordinary evolutionary tale is unfolding, uncovered by the actor Jeremy Irons and an award-winning documentary team. Only one species of prey holds its attention: the buffalo - and in order to bring its powerful foe to the ground, it will take to deep water, use sophisticated hunting techniques and then silence the gigantic beast with a single swipe of a savage paw. giant buffaloįearless, ferocious and mightier than the world has ever seen, this is the new breed of super-lion. Instead, in an evolutionary twist, they've learned to swim and become strong enough to tackle their only prey. Marooned on an island, this group of lions should have died out.