Director of Photography Sophie Darlington sits in the film vehicle, setting up her camera and preparing to film. (National Geographic/Claire Arthur)Episode: #CHAPTER 3 "The Greatest Sacrifice"Air Date 08/19/2026103_ChapterThree_TheGreatestSacrifice_Lion_36.jpg
Director of Photography Sophie Darlington films as rain lashes down around her. (National Geographic/Simon Blakeney)Episode: #CHAPTER 3 "The Greatest Sacrifice"Air Date 08/19/2026103_ChapterThree_TheGreatestSacrifice_Lion_22.jpg
Two of Kio's brothers sit upright, raising their heads and shaking their manes to dry off after the rain. (National Geographic/Simon Blakeney)Episode: #CHAPTER 3 "The Greatest Sacrifice"Air Date 08/19/2026103_ChapterThree_TheGreatestSacrifice_Lion_23.jpg
In his new territory, one of Kio’s brothers stands tall in the grasslands, readying himself to roar. (National Geographic/Claire Arthur)Episode: #CHAPTER 3 "The Greatest Sacrifice"Air Date 08/19/2026103_ChapterThree_TheGreatestSacrifice_Lion_37.jpg
Cinematographer Rolf Steinmann films as rain lashes down around him. (National Geographic/Alice Owen)Episode: #CHAPTER 3 "The Greatest Sacrifice"Air Date 08/19/2026103_ChapterThree_TheGreatestSacrifice_Lion_24.jpeg
Autumn trots with wide eyes, alert to something alarming above her. (National Geographic/Simon Blakeney)Episode: #CHAPTER 3 "The Greatest Sacrifice"Air Date 08/19/2026103_ChapterThree_TheGreatestSacrifice_Lion_09.jpg
Djodjo, one of Kio’s brothers, thrusts his head forward in a roar. (National Geographic/Claire Arthur)Episode: #CHAPTER 3 "The Greatest Sacrifice"Air Date 08/19/2026103_ChapterThree_TheGreatestSacrifice_Lion_34.jpg
Kio, second in line, walks in single file with his brothers through the long grass, looking up as he moves. (National Geographic/Simon Blakeney)Episode: #CHAPTER 3 "The Greatest Sacrifice"Air Date 08/19/2026103_ChapterThree_TheGreatestSacrifice_Lion_20.jpg
Summer remains alert, watching over her surroundings. (National Geographic/Simon Blakeney)Episode: #CHAPTER 3 "The Greatest Sacrifice"Air Date 08/19/2026103_ChapterThree_TheGreatestSacrifice_Lion_08.jpg
Nzuri, one of Kio's brothers, stands in the long grass, bathed in golden light. (National Geographic/Claire Arthur)Episode: #CHAPTER 3 "The Greatest Sacrifice"Air Date 08/19/2026103_ChapterThree_TheGreatestSacrifice_Lion_30.jpg
Kio walks with something muddy in his mouth. (National Geographic/Simon Blakeney)Episode: #CHAPTER 3 "The Greatest Sacrifice"Air Date 08/19/2026103_ChapterThree_TheGreatestSacrifice_Lion_18.jpg
One of the pride males stands close behind a female. (National Geographic/Simon Blakeney)Episode: #CHAPTER 3 "The Greatest Sacrifice"Air Date 08/19/2026103_ChapterThree_TheGreatestSacrifice_Lion_19.jpg
Nzuri, one of Kio's brothers, tilts his head to one side as he stands in the long grass. (National Geographic/Claire Arthur)Episode: #CHAPTER 3 "The Greatest Sacrifice"Air Date 08/19/2026103_ChapterThree_TheGreatestSacrifice_Lion_31.jpg
Nzuri, one of Kio's brothers, sits relaxed with his eyes half shut. (National Geographic/Claire Arthur)Episode: #CHAPTER 3 "The Greatest Sacrifice"Air Date 08/19/2026103_ChapterThree_TheGreatestSacrifice_Lion_25.jpg
A closeup on one of Kio's brothers. (National Geographic/Claire Arthur)Episode: #CHAPTER 3 "The Greatest Sacrifice"Air Date 08/19/2026103_ChapterThree_TheGreatestSacrifice_Lion_33.jpg
Kio stands in the tall grass, looking ahead with his mouth open. (National Geographic/Claire Arthur)Episode: #CHAPTER 3 "The Greatest Sacrifice"Air Date 08/19/2026103_ChapterThree_TheGreatestSacrifice_Lion_27.jpg
One of Kio’s brothers walks away through the grass. (National Geographic/Claire Arthur)Episode: #CHAPTER 3 "The Greatest Sacrifice"Air Date 08/19/2026103_ChapterThree_TheGreatestSacrifice_Lion_32.jpg
Director of Photography Sophie Darlington looks down the lens as one of Kio’s brothers rests right in front of her in the film vehicle. (National Geographic/Laura McCamley)Episode: #CHAPTER 3 "The Greatest Sacrifice"Air Date 08/19/2026103_ChapterThree_TheGreatestSacrifice_Lion_41.jpg
A young male lion balances precariously on a small gardenia tree, surrounded by a seemingly relaxed herd of buffalo. (National Geographic/Sophie Darlington)Episode: #CHAPTER 3 "The Greatest Sacrifice"Air Date 08/19/2026103_ChapterThree_TheGreatestSacrifice_Lion_UHD_49.jpg
One of Kio’s brothers tears into a fresh kill. (National Geographic/Hannah Gormley)Episode: #CHAPTER 3 "The Greatest Sacrifice"Air Date 08/19/2026103_ChapterThree_TheGreatestSacrifice_Lion_42.jpg
Drone pilot Anthony Njuguna operates his drone. (National Geographic/Joe Treddenick)Episode: #CHAPTER 3 "The Greatest Sacrifice"Air Date 08/19/2026103_ChapterThree_TheGreatestSacrifice_Lion_43.jpg
Kio and his brothers sit in the long grass bathed in the golden light of dawn. (National Geographic/Dominico Pontillo)Episode: #CHAPTER 3 "The Greatest Sacrifice"Air Date 08/19/2026103_ChapterThree_TheGreatestSacrifice_Lion_UHD_54.jpg
Summer, on the left, engages her son Kio in an affectionate moment of head rubbing. (National Geographic/Rolf Steinmann)Episode: #CHAPTER 3 "The Greatest Sacrifice"Air Date 08/19/2026103_ChapterThree_TheGreatestSacrifice_Lion_UHD_55.jpg
A fire burns on the horizon of Rhino Ridge Plains in the Maasai Mara Reserve, the core territory of Summer's Pride. (National Geographic/Anthony Njuguna)Episode: #CHAPTER 3 "The Greatest Sacrifice"Air Date 08/19/2026103_ChapterThree_TheGreatestSacrifice_Lion_UHD_51.jpg
The starlit sky stretches over the pride's territory, with a solitary tree standing at its center. (National Geographic/Howard Bourne)Episode: #CHAPTER 3 "The Greatest Sacrifice"Air Date 08/19/2026103_ChapterThree_TheGreatestSacrifice_Lion_UHD_45.jpg
A lion watches a lone buffalo grazing in the distance. (National Geographic/Dominico Pontillo)Episode: #CHAPTER 3 "The Greatest Sacrifice"Air Date 08/19/2026103_ChapterThree_TheGreatestSacrifice_Lion_UHD_50.jpg
One of Kio's brothers moves into action during a buffalo hunt. (National Geographic/Rolf Steinmann)Episode: #CHAPTER 3 "The Greatest Sacrifice"Air Date 08/19/2026103_ChapterThree_TheGreatestSacrifice_Lion_UHD_46.jpg
Kio, with his distinctive ear slit visible, sits in the long grass bathed in the golden light of dawn. (National Geographic/Mark MacEwan)Episode: #CHAPTER 3 "The Greatest Sacrifice"Air Date 08/19/2026103_ChapterThree_TheGreatestSacrifice_Lion_UHD_52.jpg
Three young male lions of Kio's brotherhood move through the grassland, each mirrored by a giraffe in the distance. (National Geographic/Dominico Pontillo)Episode: #CHAPTER 3 "The Greatest Sacrifice"Air Date 08/19/2026103_ChapterThree_TheGreatestSacrifice_Lion_UHD_53.jpg
Autumn and Summer lean into one another. (National Geographic/Domenico Pontillo)Episode: #CHAPTER 3 "The Greatest Sacrifice"Air Date 08/19/2026103_ChapterThree_TheGreatestSacrifice_Lion_UHD_47.jpg
Two of Kio's brothers rest together. (National Geographic/Simon Blakeney)Episode: #CHAPTER 3 "The Greatest Sacrifice"Air Date 08/19/2026103_ChapterThree_TheGreatestSacrifice_Lion_17.jpg
Cinematographer Domenico Pontillo films Kio's brotherhood as one of the young males stands on a mound next to the film vehicle. (National Geographic/Georgie Ward)Episode: #CHAPTER 3 "The Greatest Sacrifice"Air Date 08/19/2026103_ChapterThree_TheGreatestSacrifice_Lion_03.jpg
Summer stands in a sea of long grass, scanning the landscape. (National Geographic/Georgie Ward)Episode: #CHAPTER 3 "The Greatest Sacrifice"Air Date 08/19/2026103_ChapterThree_TheGreatestSacrifice_Lion_02.jpg
Two of Kio's brothers stand by a tree trunk, one trotting forward while the other rises on his hind legs, gazing into the distance with curiosity. (National Geographic/Simon Blakeney)Episode: #CHAPTER 3 "The Greatest Sacrifice"Air Date 08/19/2026103_ChapterThree_TheGreatestSacrifice_Lion_16.jpg
Nzuri, one of Kio's brothers, stands in the tall grass. (National Geographic/Claire Arthur)Episode: #CHAPTER 3 "The Greatest Sacrifice"Air Date 08/19/2026103_ChapterThree_TheGreatestSacrifice_Lion_28.jpg
Kio rests his head on the mound, eyes closed, taking a quiet snooze in the grassland. (National Geographic/Simon Blakeney)Episode: #CHAPTER 3 "The Greatest Sacrifice"Air Date 08/19/2026103_ChapterThree_TheGreatestSacrifice_Lion_15.jpg
Summer's Pride rests under a solitary tree in the open grassland, while one lion stands near the film vehicle as the crew captures the moment. (National Geographic/Georgie Ward)Episode: #CHAPTER 3 "The Greatest Sacrifice"Air Date 08/19/2026103_ChapterThree_TheGreatestSacrifice_Lion_01.jpg
Nzuri, one of Kio's brothers, stands in the tall grass. (National Geographic/Claire Arthur)Episode: #CHAPTER 3 "The Greatest Sacrifice"Air Date 08/19/2026103_ChapterThree_TheGreatestSacrifice_Lion_29.jpg
Summer stands fully alert while Kio and his brothers rest around her. (National Geographic/Alex Walters)Episode: #CHAPTER 3 "The Greatest Sacrifice"Air Date 08/19/2026103_ChapterThree_TheGreatestSacrifice_Lion_05.jpg
Kio sits in the grass with his neck craned and his tongue stretched out. National Geographic/Simon Blakeney)Episode: #CHAPTER 3 "The Greatest Sacrifice"Air Date 08/19/2026103_ChapterThree_TheGreatestSacrifice_Lion_11.jpg
