PBS - Gorongosa Park Rebirth of Paradise (2015) Part 1 Lion Mystery

Experience the incredible and inspiring rebirth of an African wilderness through the eyes of an Emmy Award�-winning wildlife cameraman. American-born, African-raised Bob Poole embarks on an amazing adventure spending two years living in the million-acre paradise of Mozambique's Gorongosa National Park, joining scientists and conservationists in the battle to re-wild this once-legendary nature preserve. Restoring the fabric of life in the park after a long civil war is one of the most ambitious wilderness restoration projects ever attempted. This is no ordinary filming assignment for Poole, as he combines his passion for conservation with his career filming the world's beautiful but vulnerable wild animals. He helps scientists dart and track the park's elusive lions, decodes the behavior of the park's angry elephants, wrestles and studies massive crocs, and helps truck in herds of animals to replace the ones that were lost during the war. In addition to stunning images of Africa's iconic wildlife, Poole shares firsthand one of the most exciting conservation stories happening in the world today.

Part 1 Lion Mystery

Bob Poole joins lion scientist Paola Bouley to solve a baffling mystery why is Gorongosa’s lion population not growing as fast as it should? After a decade of restoration efforts, there seems to be plenty of prey for the lions to eat. But their population isn’t growing. Because lions are an important keystone species, and a draw for tourists, their recovery is critical to the success of the restoration effort.

By filming the lions, Poole hopes to help solve the mystery. He meets a new lion family with five young cubs, and follows their perilous journey to adulthood. The team encounters a three-legged lioness called Tripod who guides them to a potential answer to the mystery they’re trying to solve. Tripod has given Gorongosa a precious legacy — the five cubs Bob has been filming are her “grandkids”. But their lives are put in danger with the arrival of two male lions that want to expand their own lion kingdom.

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