[3rd POV]
(Documentary : Episode 4)
[Name : Hana Park
Role : Zoologist, Big Cat Specialist]
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"A nomadic pride. For those who don't understand the term, nomadic means the pride does not stay in one place and are constantly moving from one place to another. But why would Leo decide to make his pride nomadic? Well, the answer lies in the wide territory which he ruled over," she said.
The scene changed to the whole of Serengeti. Well, the land was too big to capture with one drone so instead, the footage was of a moving drone that flew over the Serengeti from the highest altitude possible. But even with that and even with a time lapse, it seemed like the territory was never ending.
"To understand the sheer scale of his kingdom, the three previous kings were only able to occupy one-fourth of the whole territory. It got to the point that Leo was able to live for a year, unnoticed and undisturbed in his own region. The only reason why we did not consider him a king back then was due to his lack of pride," she said.
"So Leo decided to make his pride nomadic. That way, the pride could have a presence throughout the Serengeti. He knew firsthand that it was possible that rogues could claim part of the region, he himself was one of them. So to avoid this, he occupied his whole kingdom by making the pride move from one part of the region to another, only staying in one place for around four to five days," she explained.
"It was a much more effective strategy than traveling to far lands to announce his rule. With the moving pride, he could in theory patrol the whole Serengeti once a month. It was still nearly not enough to ward off all rogue lions, but it was enough to make their lives uncomfortable, they never had peace," she said.
The scene showed footage of Leo and his pride traveling in groups. Leo was always in the lead, with the cubs and the older females in the middle and the powerful lionessess at the back.
"Even the way they are moving is strategic, the same type of group movement found in wolves," she said.
The lions in the group were pointed out with words now and then. The way the whole pride stopped when the cubs got tired. The way Leo led them to a watering hole occasionally and they swam to cool down.
"Lions are not known to be too comfortable in water, but Leo's habit of going for a swim translated to them. With their constant movement under the heat of the savannah, cooling their body in such a manner was also effective," she said.
But while the drone was capturing all this footage, there was an occasional blur. It was the most trusted subject of the king, Grim. He was always on the lookout, always scouting and being a great help to the king. He was the second most important member of the pride after Leo, even though he was not a lion himself.
"I study animal behaviour and specialize in big cats. But if you write down the activities and the behaviour of Leo's pride after two months of his takeover, I would look at that essay and guess it might be a wolf pack or an elephant herd. Never would I have ever guessed that you were writing about a lion pride. Their actions were completely different from the traditional lifestyle of lions," she said, explaining the significance of this change.
"To the point that they could hardly be called a lion's pride. But that's what happened, that's what we were witnessing," she said.
The documentary cut back to Hana's side profile in the aesthetic room designed by the studio. She took a deep breath and straightened her posture before she rotated her stool slightly to look towards the camera.
That was camera work to highlight the rather attractive researcher. She had become quite the favourite among the viewers, especially the male audience.
"But the freakiest, or in a more elegant term, the most unsettling thing about this is that it makes complete sense. It makes too much sense when we look at it from a human perspective. Everyone in the team agreed that if they were in Leo's place, that is exactly what they would do," she said.
"As animal researchers, our job is to look at the world from their perspective. But to understand him, Leo made us look at things from a human perspective. This level of intelligence bordered on the supernatural, like magic. We could understand an intelligence for battle, an intelligence for self. But having the wisdom to rule and lead? That, that right there is where our minds got blown again," she admitted.
"Leo's intelligence was so far above that of the others in the animal kingdom that it made us reflect deeply. Maybe we had underestimated the intelligence of these animals too much. What if everything that they do and accomplish has a reason beyond our understanding? Instead of acting so much smarter and pointing out their wrongdoings, what if we took a look at everything from a new perspective?" she asked.
"And it's not just Leo. The pride's ability to follow his command and change their ways. It seems like every creature Leo encountered is smarter than we all thought. But what if that was not the case? All creatures are way smarter than we give them credit for, and we only noticed this when Leo showed it to us?" she asked again, each question capable of shaking the belief of norms.
"We have described animal behaviour with words like evolution of chance, natural selection, born instincts, genetic mutation. We have done so much to discredit the intelligence of animals. But Leo challenged our very understanding of animals and took the narrow lenses with which we view the creatures we share the planet with. It's human arrogance at its finest. But what if there is no such thing? What if nothing happens by chance and was instead first led by a conscious intelligent mind?" she asked once more.
"Birds travel over thousands of miles when the season ends and reach the same place every year. Sea turtles return to the very beach where they were born. We say it's instinct, we say they are born with that primal knowledge," she said. "Perhaps we are looking at animals too much like robots, following the things they are programmed to do. But how much of that is done by choice or done by a conscious mind?"
There was a silence as Hana let everything she said so far sink into the minds of the viewers. Then she spoke again.
"I think the most important thing I've learned from this journey is that animals aren't just surviving. They are living and participating in something we can't fully measure or explain. They have intelligence in a language we don't speak yet," she said.
"It's humbling, really. To think that the world around us might be far more aware than we ever gave it credit for," she said in conclusion.
The scene changed again, playing soft music. The footage was similar to what the documentary had done in between breaks of narration. It showed the savannah and all the animals living there.
But this time, it felt different.
The audience watched these animals with more acknowledgment. It's like they finally saw the animals for the first time. They were not just background props made to make the world feel complete. They were not NPCs while we were main characters.
No, these were all living beings. They were with thoughts, with choice, with emotions. They were not just moving flesh driven and controlled fully by instinct.
They were beings, living beings.
Each with their own uniqueness and brilliance. The small section of the documentary shifted the perspective of everyone watching.
And it all stemmed from a tailless lion and his story.
That was the kind of influence Leo had and why even now, he was considered an icon.
...
The documentary continued after that, showing in detail the life of Leo's pride. Hana, as the specialist, continued to guide the viewers into understanding what they were looking at.
That was another way this documentary was unique. Footage was not played to support the narration. Instead, the researchers followed behind, trying to explain and understand the story that unfolded before their eyes.
They were not seeing what they were told to see or what they wanted to see. They were simply observing, and being awed by nature.
Because you know what? Nature was already mysterious and amazing on its own. Humans adding and modifying it was just like a baby trying to enhance a masterpiece.
Leo's pride, a nomadic pride. The audience learned about their changed behaviour. They saw Leo ruling the pride. His ferocious nature when he hunted and fought, but the sheer gentleness with which he played with the cubs.
That was the nature of a king — he who could kill with one hand and cradle a baby with another.
They saw the way he commanded his lionesses. It was not forced or demanded but it was given. You could see with every behaviour of the females the respect they had for their king.
Indeed, even those simple interactions were fascinating enough to make the whole episode.
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