Eternal Enemies - Lions And Hyenas

This 60 min REGION 1 DVD is excellent.The DVD treks into the hidden battlefields of northern Botswana where lions and spotted hyenas clash in overlapping territories. Through footage, much of it filmed at night, it uncovers an intense and vicious blood fraud that has been waged for millennia. The southern clan led by a powerful hyena matriarch whose first born female cub kills her sister at birth to assure her succession as leader of the clan.In the shadows as a lioness from the central pride gives birth to three cubs and then encounters a deadly Egyptian cobra.There is a breathtaking chase scene as the hyena matriarch is brutally killed by a male lion, throwing the clan into chaos.

Excellent...even though it didn't arrive until 2nd January.

After viewing this tape, I was surprised to see how a natural bloody war takes place between these two super predators. The footage is shocking sometimes, but totally riviting, and narrated so well. The sight of a slain lioness being tucked into by her enemies is something I never thought happened, I had a fair idea before seeing this film that these animals killed one another but never thought their hatred ran so deep.

I never usually leave reviews on Amazon, however I had to give a review for this documentary, it is simply phenomenal. The way in which the documentary is filmed in quality and detail surpasses any previous documentaries I have seen. Everything about this documentary is spellbinding (though at times, quite gruesome), especially the narration. Easily 5 stars!!!

This is without question the most violent, horrific animal documentary I have ever seen; the fight for survival between the lions and hyenas is brutal, but goes beyond fighting over food, to actual territorial warfare. The cruelty shown in this footage should not be seen by children, but is extremely educational for those who have the stomach for it.There is also a segment on the agony of a poisoned lioness that is terribly sad, and hard to watch.You will learn things about hyenas that will surprise you: It is a matriarchal society, where the males are smaller, and their role in the pack quite marginal. The females also have the appearance of hermaphrodites, and engage in "mock mating", caught on film here for the first time. We also witness their habit of fratricide, where the most powerful of the young will kill its weaker brother or sister.The ferocity of the hyenas, coupled with their "laughing" sounds, make these scavengers truly "the horrors of the night".Much of this documentary is chilling, some of it is very moving, and all of it is unforgettable. Filmed in the northern regions of Botswana, the creative forces behind this film are Dereck and Beverly Joubert, and the narration of the beautifully written (and often quite poetic) script is by Powers Boothe.Watching a film like this puts the harshness of nature into perspective, and also says a lot about our lower instincts, and the "endless cycles of life and death", shown here with some spectacular cinematography.Total running time is one hour.

this unusually fine work captures the imagination and takes one beyond animals in the wild (though they are stunning to watch), and makes you think about things like conflict, destiny, tragedy, etc. it's superb. if you like your documentaries darkly told and thoughtful, you will get a lot out of this one.