New Attenborough Documentary Captures Dramatic Wildlife Interactions in Zambia
LUSAKA, Zambia – A new BBC wildlife documentary series, “Kingdom,” premiering Sunday at 1:20 p.m. EST on BBC One, offers unprecedented insight into the lives of predators in Zambia’s Luangwa Valley. Narrated by renowned biologist Sir David Attenborough, the five-year project reveals rarely-seen animal behaviors, showcasing the complex dynamics between leopards, hyenas, wild dogs, lions, elephants, and baboons.
The series documents remarkable events, such as a tense standoff where a pack of wild dogs pursued a pregnant hyena attempting to steal their food, only to be diverted by a lion claiming the carcass. Attenborough’s narration highlighted the lion’s dominance, observing, ”they can take anything they want.” Executive producer Mike Gunton emphasized the unpredictable nature of the footage, stating, “We could never have written a script like this, only nature could write this script.”
Filming efforts coincided with critical conservation work undertaken by the Zambia Carnivore Program (ZCP). In 2024 alone, ZCP teams spent over 5,000 days in the field, according to their annual impact report. Their efforts included intensively removing snares from 16 large carnivores, vaccinating nearly 3,000 domestic dogs against rabies, and monitoring 1,262 carnivores. The institution also conducted 13 herbivore surveys and hosted 280 community awareness events focused on mitigating human-wildlife conflict.
ZCP’s ongoing work protects a significant population of large carnivores, including over 480 lions, 455 wild dogs, and 280 spotted hyenas. A core mission of the ZCP is fostering positive relationships between local communities and wildlife, aiming to help residents “become more appreciative of the benefits of conservation” through outreach, clean-up initiatives, and vaccination programs. The program’s website details its mission: “to conserve Zambia’s large carnivores and the ecosystems they reside in through science, action and strengthening local leadership.”
