The Marsh Pride is the most filmed pride of lions on Earth, having been documented numerous times over the past 40 years. The BBC has brought together a great deal of this footage in this new documentary, charting their rise and catastrophic demise thanks to habitat loss and increased confrontation with a growing human population.
When is Lion: The Rise and Fall of the Marsh Pride on TV?
Lion: The Rise and Fall of the Marsh Pride will be air on Tuesday 23rd August at 9pm on BBC Two and iPlayer.
What is Lion: The Rise and Fall of the Marsh Pride all about?
Lion: The Rise and Fall of the Marsh Pride is a new BBC documentary focusing on the catastrophic decline in the world's lion population, using the renowned Marsh Pride as a case study. The documentary tells the stories about the lions within the Pride, and about them trying to live among humans – and the devastating impacts this can have. The programme will use archival footage from the BBC and other broadcasters from over the last 40 years, captured with the Pride itself.
The Marsh Pride faced disaster in 2015 when its lions were poisoned with insecticides, which are still used today.
Over the past decades, reportedly over half of Africa's lions have been wiped out. There are now only tens of thousands left in the wild, with those remaining still facing major problems including habitat loss and increased confrontation with humans.
The film is a cautionary tale as to why we should protect lions across the globe and goes some way to explaining why the Marsh Pride has resonated with audiences for decades.
Find out more about different lion species here.
Which experts and conservationists will be featured in the programme?
- Jonathan Scott- Marsh Pride Historian and Conservationist
- Jackson Looseyia – Guide and Conservationist
- Simon King – Naturalist and filmmaker
- Michael Kaelo – Mara Predator Conservation Programme
- Dr Paula Kahumba – CEO Wildlife Direct
What is the Marsh Pride?
The Marsh Pride is a pride of lions based on the edge of the Masai Mara National Reserve in Kenya, a territory protected for wildlife. The pride was the subject of one of the episodes of the BBC series Dynasties, filmed in 2016, as well as the Animal Planet series Big Cat Tales.