摘要：By the mid-2000s, this paradise could have been lost in the mists of time, a footnote in the tales of places where the big cats on

Africa, Botswana.

非洲，博茨瓦纳。

Over a century of hunting has left some areas silent.

一个多世纪的狩猎，让某些地区陷入一片死寂。

A lone lioness and her grown daughter are the last remnants of a pride that once roamed here.

一头孤独的母狮和她已成年的女儿，是曾经驰骋于此的狮群留下的最后血脉。

By the mid-2000s, this paradise could have been lost in the mists of time, a footnote in the tales of places where the big cats once ruled.

到了 21 世纪初，这片乐土险些湮没于时间的洪流，沦为大型猫科动物昔日传说中的一个注脚。

But then, two things happen.

然而，两件事的发生改变了这一切。

Hunting in this remote area is stopped and impossibly, two male lions arrive from nowhere.

首先，这片偏远地区的狩猎活动被叫停；接着，令人难以置信的是，两头雄狮凭空出现了。

These mysterious lions have been waiting years for the gunshots to stop.

这两头神秘的雄狮，为等待枪声停息，已经蛰伏多年。

At last, they respond to the silence beyond the river and start a series of forays into the female's land.

终于，河对岸的寂静召唤着它们，两兄弟开始一次次地闯入母狮的领地。

Today is their day, and this is the moment of hope for the lions in this paradise.

今天，时机终于成熟，希望的曙光也随之降临在这片乐土的狮群身上。

Our sophisticated thermal cameras capture their story and their journey in search of the last females of the pride beyond the swamp.

我们用先进的热成像摄像机，记录下它们穿越沼泽、寻找狮群最后希望的传奇旅程。

This is the best way to see into the world of these cats, persecuted by humans, until they learn a better side of us and we go into the darkness with them.

这是我们窥探这些猫科动物内心世界的绝佳方式。它们曾饱受人类的迫害，直到我们展现出友善的一面，它们才愿意让我们一同潜入它们的夜色王国。

A heat signature stays behind like a shadow, just like their scent, as they search for signs of the two lonely females.

它们一路搜寻着那两头孤独母狮的踪迹，留下的热信号如影随形，又如同它们散发的气味，久久不散。

We call the two females Polelo and Laboni, hot and light.

我们称这两头母狮为波莱洛和拉博尼，意为炽热和光明。

Polelo's eyes, as you will see in the daylight, are hot, dark red.

在日光下你会看到，波莱洛的双眼是深邃的暗红色，炽热如火。

Her father was shot before she was even born.

她还没出生，父亲就被射杀了。

She takes her cues from her mother.

她事事都听从母亲的号令。

And for the first time in years, the night reverberates with lion song.

沉寂多年的夜空，终于再次回荡起雄浑的狮吼。

This beautiful harmony will signal the end of an era, a new story of hope, and the birth of a pride.

这美妙的合鸣，既为一个旧时代画上句点，也为一个充满希望的新故事拉开序幕，更见证了一个全新狮群的诞生。

Over the next few months, the courtship mate in an early life of stability keeps the males around and attentive to the females.

在接下来的几个月里，求爱、交配以及安稳的家庭生活，让雄狮们始终陪伴在母狮左右，呵护备至。

With the silencing of the guns, other survivors start arriving at the waters of the Selinda Spillway in northern Botswana.

随着枪声沉寂，其他幸存的动物也开始陆续来到博茨瓦纳北部的塞林达水道。

Months later, the males find themselves the center of attention of six tiny replicas of themselves.

数月后，雄狮们发现自己被六个小家伙团团围住，它们简直就是自己的翻版。

Both Polelo and her mother, Laboni, have given birth.

波莱洛和她的母亲拉博尼都产下了幼崽。

Most females have to work hard to convince males that the cubs are theirs.

通常，母狮需要费尽心力，才能让雄狮承认并接纳自己的幼崽。

Not here.

但在此时此地，情况并非如此。

There are no competing males.

因为这里没有其他雄狮与它们竞争。

For the first time in decades, buffalo have ventured into the area as well.

这片区域也迎来了数十年未见的水牛。

They attract attention.

它们的出现，立刻吸引了狮群的注意。

It's new, daunting prey for the two females.

对这两头母狮而言，这是一种既新奇又棘手的猎物。

And as we follow into their world of darkness, it's into a realm of heat signals and hidden behavior.

跟随它们潜入黑夜，我们也就进入了一个由热信号与隐秘行为主宰的国度。

The two females are inseparable.

两头母狮形影不离。

They're lethal on the hunt.

它们的狩猎招招致命。

As bold as this mother/daughter combination is, it usually takes a full pride to bring down a buffalo.

尽管这对母女组合十分勇猛，但要撂倒一头水牛，通常需要整个狮群的力量。

Olelo's warm eyes hint at her hunger to follow.

波莱洛灼热的目光，流露出她对追击的渴望。

But they have a small problem.

但它们有个小麻烦。

One little male cub barely notices, as if he's already made up his mind what to do today.

一只小雄狮对此却浑然不觉，仿佛早已有了自己的打算。

The lionesses have an additional imperative, though.

然而，母狮们还有一件更紧迫的事。

They know they drew first blood last night, and the buffalo is weakening.

它们知道，昨夜已经重创了那头水牛，它正在慢慢变得虚弱。

But with each passing hour, the blood trail becomes someone else's to follow.

但时间拖得越久，血迹就越有可能引来其他的捕食者。

So close, and yet so far.

近在咫尺，却又远在天边。

Caught between multiple difficult choices, the two females take the leap.

面对两难的抉择，两头母狮决定放手一搏。

The choice they must make is whether to leave the cubs, hunt and then return, or take them across first.

它们必须做出选择：是留下幼崽去捕猎再返回，还是先把它们带过河。

A decision is not unanimous.

但大家对此意见不一。

The cubs' instinct is to follow their mothers.

幼崽的本能是跟随母亲。

But all it takes is one voice of dissention to unravel a perfectly good plan.

但只要有一个反对的声音，就足以让一个完美的计划泡汤。

It sometimes takes courage to stand off to one side when your peers want to move forward altogether.

有时，当所有同伴都勇往直前时，选择特立独行需要更大的勇气。

The mothers are losing control.

母狮们渐渐失去了对局面的控制。

With each attempt, fewer cubs are convinced they can make it past the hippos.

每一次尝试都以失败告终，敢于挑战河马威严的幼崽也越来越少。

He is gaining majority support.

它的坚持，赢得了大多数同伴的响应。

But until they can persuade the last male cub, this party is going nowhere.

但只要说服不了最后那只小雄狮，这队“人马”就寸步难行。

It's been two hours.

僵局已经持续了两个小时。

Four cubs are finally convinced.

四只幼崽总算让步了。

But the objector has a cohort: his sister.

但那个闹别扭的，现在有了个伴儿：他的妹妹。

来源：英语东