Water is the key to life in the dry season and most rivers run dry. Just a few places keep water and so all animals are forced to visit them. Some are no more than ponds – called waterholes.

There is a strict ‘pecking order’ for drinking. If one of the big cats comes in sight, then most of the other animals flee. Only giant animals like elephants can drink at the same time.

Other animals can sense whether the big cats have recently made a kill or not. If they have, then the other animals will be safe for a while. If not, the cats get the waterhole to themselves.

Hyenas and other smaller predators hunt in packs and do not threaten most animals at the waterhole, but they keep a wary eye out for the cats. Some animals drink at night, when it is, on balance, safer.