"Panthera leo."
-Jane? -Yep.
I have a really important question for you.
Ask away.
If you could be any animal in the world, which would you be?
-Could it be a plant? -I said "animal."
Could it be a fish?
Has to live on land.
-Could it be extinct? -No.
Is this question really that hard?
Lion. No, elephant. Giraffe.
Wait, could it be a single-celled organism?
-Animal. -Lion.
Are you only choosing that because that's what we're looking for today?
Yes. And I changed my mind.
Lioness. A girl lion.
Is there really that much of a difference?
You're kidding, right?
Lionesses don't have manes, they take care of the cubs,
and do almost all the hunting.
What do the boy lions do?
Eat what the lionesses kill.
I think I'd rather be a boy lion then. Sounds easier.
What? I'm really good at eating.
And why do the girl lions-- lionesses--
let the boy lions hang around if all they do is eat their food?
That's what we're here to figure out.
Lions are the only cats in the world that live together in groups,
with usually one lion, a few lionesses and a bunch of cute baby cubs.
The question is "why?"
What's gotten into Greybeard?
Better question: what's trying to bite into Greybeard?
A lioness.
Run, Greybeard.
-He's not gonna make it. -Yes, he is. Buckle up.
This is so bumpy.
I don't feel so great.
Hold on. We're almost there.
Even bumpier.
What are you doing?
Trying to save Greybeard from being eaten.
-And what are you supposed to be doing? -Resting.
Come on, bud.
You're never gonna beat this cold unless you get some rest.
We can't rest when there are only 23,000 Panthera leos left in the wild.
The scientific name for lions.
-Hi, Jane. -Hello, Mr. Tolmie.
You can just call me Kevin.
Not when things are this serious, Mr. Tolmie.
There are less and less lions every year.
The only way we're going to stop losing them is if we learn to understand them.
-"Only if we understand, will we care." -"…will we care."
-"Only if we care, will we--" -"Only if we care, will we--"
Well, this little lion needs to get some rest.
A little lion is called a cub.
Okay. Well, this little cub needs his rest, so this will have to wait.
But lions don't have time to wait.
Mr. Tolmie? David? Kevin? Mr. David's dad?
She's still hunting you.
I mean, she's still hunting you.
Which gives us a chance to finish our mission. Wait right here.
Now, market forces will always have an effect
on the rates that we're able to offer.
Jane?
Mom, I need your help.
I'm so sorry. I'll be right back.
Is this something real or an animal mission?
A real animal mission.
Not right now.
Where were we?
A softening in the housing market could mean an increase--
Mom, it's important.
It could mean an increase of
-0.25 or 0.5 basis points. -Mom. Mom, please.
Now, we have several ways to mitigate a negative--
There's someone behind you.
I'm so sorry. Can you hold on one second?
No problem.
Jane, I'm working right now.
So am I, saving the world.
I'm trying to figure out why lions are the only cats that live together.
Good luck.
I saw two lionesses work together to try to eat Greybeard.
To solve our mission, I'm going to need your help.
-Where's David? -Still sick.
Millie?
This is way too dangerous for a six-year-old.
Jane, I have to work. I don't have time to play right now.
Greybeard.
I am so sorry about that.
Greybeard.
Jane.
David.
I need to go pee.
Okay.
My son was a lot like that when he was young.
Always running around chasing dinosaurs.
What does he do now?
He's a paleontologist.
Some loves never fade.
I can't tell you how many times I had to pretend to be a dinosaur and chase him.
Jane is all about endangered animals. She lists off their scientific names.
And honestly, I can't pronounce half of them.
Panthera leo, leave him alone.
Greybeard, jump down!
Did you know that the boy lion just eats what the lionesses kill?
I did not.
So why do you think the lionesses let the lion hang around
if all he does is eat their food?
Well, maybe the lion helps out in other ways.
Bathroom. Come on.
She jumped off the bed.
We're trying to save you.
David to Jane, there's a lioness on your balcony.
David, everything all right in there?
I'm fine. Still peeing.
Jane, you okay?
Jane? Jane!
Jump to me.
Her play might be getting out of hand.
Jump now, Greybeard.
-Jane. -Mom,
you won't believe what just happened.
You continued to interrupt me after I asked you not to
and now my workday is getting even longer?
Yes, but it wasn't my fault. A lioness attacked Greybeard.
Okay. Okay, it's time to play outside.
We're not playing. And outside is where the other lioness is.
Lionesses work together with their families.
I need to work together with mine.
You have faced worse. I'm sure you'll survive.
But the lions might not.
There are less and less of them every year because there are more and more of us.
We're pushing them out of their homes, Mom.
-Maybe you can find them a new home. -There's nowhere left for them to go.
One day soon, they might disappear completely.
-Can you imagine, Mom, no more lions? -Right now, all I can imagine is
how rude Mrs. Joseph must think I am for making her wait so long
and how destroyed your room must be.
She thinks we're just playing around,
but if we don't do anything, lions could disappear for real.
But we need help if we're going to figure out why lions live together.
What? How did you--
Great job.
Jane to David, over.
Jane, you're okay.
I thought the lioness had got you.
She almost did, until you saved us by distracting her with your walkie.
I did?
-David. -Almost done, Pops.
I don't have long. How can I help?
Can you meet me outside?
No. Pops says I need to rest.
But I can keep a lookout from my window.
Let you know if I see any hungry lionesses.
That's a start. Thanks, David.
What's wrong, Greybeard?
It's not humanly possible to pee this long, David.
I drank a lot of fluids today.
Jane? Jane, you okay?
Jane! Jane! Jane!
"My mother never laughed at my dream of going to Africa,
even though everyone else did because we didn't have any money
and because I was a girl."
That must be Jane Goodall's mom.
Maria?
So do lions actually help with the hunting too?
Is that why they all live together in groups?
But then why wasn't that lion helping the lionesses hunt you earlier?
It doesn't make any sense.
We're missing something.
It definitely looks like they're working together.
Run!
Come on. Come on.
Well, at least we finished our mission.
Lions are the only cats that live together because they all hunt together.
Really successfully too.
Actually, maybe not that successfully.
I am so sorry.
Please don't apologize.
You're reminding me of so many good memories and some challenging ones.
Being a mom can be rough, huh?
Very.
But I do miss those times when all he wanted was for me to play with him.
Why is he roaring at the lioness?
They must not be from the same family.
Greybeard! That could have solved our mission.
And yes, maybe have gotten us eaten.
But still, maybe lions don't help hunt.
Maybe they protect their families while the lionesses are out hunting.
But now we need to find them again, safely.
We'll watch them from a safe distance.
Lions need lots of space to raise their families.
We're gonna need some help finding them.
You're never gonna beat this cold if you don't get some rest, bud.
I know.
Still a little sneezy, I guess.
Rest.
I'm supposed to be resting.
-Rest over this way. -Fine.
-Did you solve our mission? -Not yet, but we're close.
We saw another lion from a different family,
and now we're trying to figure out
if lions protect their families while the lionesses are hunting.
Protect versus hunt.
Yep, I definitely still wanna be a boy lion.
But we lost them before we could prove it.
How can I help?
I need you to see if they come around the second-floor hallway.
Pops really doesn't want me to leave my room.
Don't worry. I'll think of something.
Walkie me if you see them.
I must have dropped mine when we were running away from the lions.
How did you get your walkie back?
Pops, you know how you say nothing is more important than family?
Yeah.
Well, we think lions feel the same way.
Okay.
Right now, our lion families need our help.
I'm sorry I took back my walkie.
And I wasn't peeing either.
But maybe there's a way I could rest and help Jane too?
What were you thinking?
They're gone, Greybeard.
Jane?
Jane's mom?
David.
What are you doing out here?
Stay there.
-Don't come any closer. -Lions?
No, I just don't wanna get you sick.
-What are you doing out here? -Keeping a lookout and resting.
-A "rest-out." -Have you seen Jane?
Or a "look-ing." Nah, "rest-out's" better.
What's going on?
Sorry, I thought you were a lion.
What are you doing here, Mom?
I finished early, so I thought maybe I could help you out with your mission.
Seriously?
Yes, seriously.
No, like "will you do it seriously?" We're not just playing around.
We're trying to figure out how to save the world.
I know. I know.
And I wanna help track the lions.
Good. We could use your help.
They could be on any of the four floors of our apartment building.
Greybeard'll take the basement. David's got the second floor.
-I'll take the third. -And I'll take the first.
But how are we gonna stay in touch? We only have two walkies.
I have an idea. Let me speak to your dad.
Okay, but stay there. I might have already gotten him sick.
Pops!
Greybeard says the basement is empty and the first floor is clear too.
Any sign of them, David?
Nope, no sign of them yet, Jane.
I'm just waitin' and hydratin' here.
What about your mom?
Let me check. Switching to phone.
Do you see any lions on the third floor, Mom?
Nothing here, Commander.
Or is it boss?
Or captain?
Just Jane.
Maybe they're gone.
Have you seen any lions or lionesses around here?
-No. -Sorry.
-What was that about? -I have no idea.
Wait, I hear something.
Hold on, David. My mom hears something.
What does it sound like, Mom?
It sounds like a roar, like a lion roar.
Female or male?
I'm not sure.
Make the sound.
-N-- I'd rather not. -Mom…
Roar!
Everything okay?
Yeah. My daughter and I are just trying to figure out why lions live in a group.
Pride.
Because of pride?
Groups of lions are called prides.
Groups of lions are called prides, little fun fact for you.
Thanks.
Mom, that definitely sounded like a lion roar. Be careful.
I just heard another one.
Don't worry. I'm coming up to you.
I don't believe it.
He's so beautiful.
And dangerous.
Lions are one of the most successful predators on the planet.
This is when we get to run!
Jane, lioness and lion spotted.
Copy. We've got the other lion on our tail.
Bringing him to you.
Hurry, Mom!
This is so fun…
and serious.
Seriously fun.
Look, the lion is protecting his pride. Lionesses may do most of the hunting--
With the lions keeping a lookout and fighting off other lions.
Kind of like what you did for us today, David.
Yeah. You're our mane man.
Good one.
David.
I'm still technically on the chair.
-What are you doing? -We always like to end our missions
by seeing the animals in their natural habitats.
Nice.
-Where's Greybeard? -I lent him to David for the night.
He's still not feeling great.
So, there's an extra seat available?
Yeah, right.
I'm driving.
Buckle up.
Look, there's the pride.
Look at those babies.
-So cute. -They're learning how to hunt.
A little less cute.
Lions are a lot like people.
They have big families that play and look out for each other.
Yeah, which means we should look out for them better too.
Exactly.
What are you doing?
Finding our next adventure.
So, which animal should we save next?
I was thinking cheetahs or giraffes.
Help save the lions.
I hope I'm not late for the call with lion expert Thandiwe Mweetwa.
Right on time.
-Feeling better, David? -So much better.
-Greybeard says "hi." -Hi, Greybeard.
Here's Thandiwe now.
-Hi, Thandiwe. -Hi, Thandiwe.
Hi, David.
Hi, Jane. Hello…
-Maria. -She's my mom.
She helped us track a pride of lions yesterday.
Not sure how helpful I was. My roar needs some work.
I'm still working on mine. Roar!
Thandiwe, what was it like to hear a lion roar in the wild?
It is mind-blowing.
The first time I heard lions roaring, we went into South Luangwa National Park.
Let me show you where that is.
We wanted to put a tracking device on a lion.
When they just found us, just started roaring on top of their lungs like this.
That's so loud.
I knew right then I wanted to work with lions.
We could've used a tracker on our mission.
So, what did you all find out on your lion mission?
That while lionesses do most of the hunting, lions protect the pride.
Everyone has a job to do.
Good work. Lionesses also help protect their pride.
Working together, it's what gives the pride strength.
And it's why lionesses have cubs around the same time.
A bunch of moms working together, that would be helpful.
Did you always know that you wanted to help animals,
-even when you were a little kid? -Yes.
It was through my mother's stories
about all these different animals she would meet
on her way to the river to get some water.
Also had a book about Jane Goodall, and that really encouraged me.
-I love Jane Goodall. -I love her too.
I even met her once.
She was signing books,
and I planned to go and tell her how much she had inspired me.
I couldn't speak at all. I just burst into tears.
You got to meet Jane Goodall? The Jane Goodall? That's incredible.
I don't know what I'd do if I met her in person.
Probably the same thing as Thandiwe.
You're probably right.
Jane Goodall reminds us that every animal is important like lions.
Lions are apex predators.
They sit at the top of the food chain and has a role to play in our environment,
and therefore we should protect them.
What do we need to protect the lions from?
Lions have less space to live and less prey to eat.
They get into conflict with farmers when they kill their animals, like goats.
Here, this is me in the field
educating farmers on how to live with lions side by side.
And then how to build strong fences so that lions do not kill their livestock.
What can we do to help from here?
You can share what you've learned today.
Many people look at lions as symbols of power.
They don't understand that lions are in trouble.
They need our help.
We can definitely do that.
Great. Also, you could help organize a fundraiser,
like a lemonade stand or a bake sale,
and you can donate what you raise to a program that is helping lions.
Great idea. Mom, what fundraiser should we do?
I like cookies, so my vote is a bake sale.
Thanks, Thandiwe, for all the work you do to help the lions.
And sharing your stories with us.
It was a pleasure talking to you all. Good luck on your next adventure.
Bye.
-Bye, Thandiwe. -Bye.
So, bake sale or lemonade stand?
I vote lemonade. You know I can't bake.
I vote both. We'll raise more money that way.
Great idea.
Meet you in the kitchen?
See you soon, David.
Jane, this lemonade isn't gonna make itself.
Coming.