Territorial conflict is fierce in the African bush. A roar followed by swift movement alerts Leonard Krantz and his wife to a fearsome battle raging between two lionesses and a rival male. They attack him with every weapon at their disposal. Losing is not an option – their cubs' lives are at stake. Suddenly the pride male rushes in the fight, leaving the rival outnumbered three to one. What as he attempts to fight it out and live.

Adapt is key to survival, but this survival often results in the death of another. While filming penguins, cameraman Peter Lamberti heard a shout. Scanning the water he noticed a seal nearby. To his surprise it had caught a penguin and was in the process of thrashing it against the water, biting through its stomach and stealing the sardines within. Satisfied, he leaves the half-eaten corpse to wash ashore and kelp gulls move in to pick at it until nothing remains.

Whenever the opportunity to feed presents itself, more often than not a predator will take it. Sometimes this decision can be costly, but the reaction Guy Larin had to one such interaction swiftly turned from anxiousness to laughter. On a photo workshop in Mashatu Game Reserve, he came across a young leopard doing a version of hunting ballet with a porcupine. Running his paw gently done the porcupines quill ladened spine, Guy watched as the tenacious leopard tackled the porcupine from every angle, but only gained several unplanned for piercings in the process. Even when a predator makes a kill, they can have a tough time keeping it, not only from other hunters but sometimes from prey! Witness how one remarkable eland mother defends her dead calf from several unrelenting jackal and hyena for a marathon four hours. Thereafter revel in how one buffalo mother instinctively protects her dead calf for an incredible 12 hours from a persistent leopard.

Group living has the benefit of safety in numbers. But away from their protection things can spiral out of control. Cynthia Pienaar witnessed just how drastically when a waterhole visit turned into a traumatic experience as bull elephants began pushing, dropping and wrestling with an elephant calf. Cynthia had to let nature take its course, but in certain circumstances human involvement is vital. Watch as Clive Curtis, a giraffe capture specialist, has to work in dangerous and cramped conditions when the darted giraffe goes down in a thicket. Sharp thorns, thrashing hooves and boiling heat make for entertaining viewing as we watch Clive and the rest of the teamwork furiously to amputate the giraffe’s abscess covered tail in these tough conditions.