Episode 1

Wildlife series following the lives of the meerkat's bigger, more streetwise cousin, the banded mongoose.

The 'banded brothers' family of mongooses own the best territory in Uganda's Queen Elizabeth National Park, but other mongoose mobs want a piece of the action. To keep hold of their patch, the bandeds need to be a big, strong group, and a regular supply of new recruits is maintained by the breeding females. A new litter from three of the older females has been born and they make their first foray above ground, but not all is right in the banded mongoose's world.

The oldest female, Diva, is still pregnant. It's an unusual situation, and when Diva's pups are born they will face an uphill struggle to survive. To add to the problems, the new pups need babysitting at the den. Other mongoose mobs such as the banded mongoose's arch enemies the striped mongoose are taking advantage and muscling in on the banded's prize territory.