Five Questions for Filmmakers: Africa's Hunters The Misfit

3/20/2018

We reached out to our festival filmmakers to ask them questions about the experience of making their films.

Africa's Hunters The Misfit - Finalist Trailer - Science and Behavior from Jackson Hole WILD on Vimeo.

Answers provided by Hannah Hoare, Showrunner

What inspired the story?

Following the pride and filming the cubs, it quickly became apparent that one cub was different. He was always on his own, off to one side, not joining in with play-fights. We were really drawn to him from the word go, the little underdog – the Misfit. We focused on him and just watched all the drama unfold. We could never have predicted his incredible story.

Share about your surprising or meaningful experiences during filming?

The night we found the tiny Misfit lost and alone, away from his pride, was heart-breaking. He came so close to being attacked by a leopard it was almost unbearable to film. The crew’s hearts were in their mouths. Even more remarkable was seeing the reaction of his teenager brothers when he finally found them. At first we were hugely relieved that’d he’d found the safety of the pride, but quickly realized how wrong we were. It was an extraordinary insight into lion behavior, and an emotional rollercoaster.

Photo courtesy of Africa's Hunter The Misfit

What impact do you hope the film will have?

We’ve been able to show that lions are far more nuanced than just being formidable predators and I hope perhaps that might help some people see them in a different light. Their family relationships are complex and intriguing; what befalls one has an impact on another. Lions need wildernesses in which to live out their lives and it’s up to us, to humanity, to ensure we protect those places. The more people who engage emotionally with lions, the more they are likely to commit, I hope, to protecting their world.

What challenges did you face while making the film?

Filming at night is very tricky. The crew were at a huge disadvantage compared to lions – their night vision is seven times better than ours. Our thermal camera made it possible for us to film – but we had no way of seeing what was going on either side of the camera, or behind us. We had some nerve-wrackingly close encounters with some very big cats!

Photo courtesy of Africa's Hunters The Misfit

What drove you as a filmmaker to focus on big cat species?

There’s a fascination with the wild version of the moggy that lives in our houses. But lions are unique, the only social cat. Multiple animals maintaining relationships means there are always compelling stories to be told. Following a pride over time is like getting hooked a soap opera – you get to know characters and you want to tune in and find out what happens next. For a film-maker, there’s a rich vein of stories.

65 Comments

Diana O'Brien

10/4/2018 10:00:23 pm

You guys have done a marvelous job with the film.. it is very sad and terrifying to see him all alone, but at the end is inspiring and sweet. He has lots of courage and determination to keep going. It's wonderful. God Bless this Lion cub into an amazing big lion one day. 🙂👍

Eddie Zette

1/27/2019 09:09:11 pm

What happened with the misfit?
🤔

1/27/2019 09:10:36 pm

What happened to the misfit
🤔

Abbey

6/17/2019 08:39:20 am

Hi Eddie! We followed up on this for you, and we finally have an answer, provided by a crew member from the film: "Yes, he lives! In fact a year later the same team went back, and found only three cubs left, yearlings by that stage, and he was one of them. He is recognizable by a weirdness in the iris of one eye. He's strong, and that year befriended a cub who had gone through a similar nightmare to him, and looked after this little lost cub whose mother was killed."

Marah Joseph

4/8/2020 09:34:25 pm

Any updates on the misfits 2020?

7/31/2020 09:20:21 am

Unfortunately, we haven't gotten an update from the filmmakers, Marah. 2020 has been a tough year for traveling. We'll be sure to let you know if we hear anything!

Dina

8/16/2020 03:19:57 pm

Like you I fell in love with the Misfit and wondered what happened to him after he and his brothers left the pride. Get a Kleenex because you will cry. The local ranchers had put out poisoned meat because lions had killed some of their cattle. His brothers died but the park rangers were able to get to the misfit before it was too late. They put him in an area where they could keep an eye on him until he had fully recovered but during the night he was trampled by buffalo during a stampede. They had to euthanize him. He overcame so much as a cub that I think he would have been an amazing father and pride leader!! It’s absolutely horrible that he had to die the way he did. He will never be forgotten though and was loved by many 💜

Kelly

8/16/2020 08:48:56 pm

Is Misfit really dead? Oh, hope it's not true....
I can't hold back my tears for him. I love Misfit so much.

Criseih

8/18/2020 06:42:54 pm

Hi Dina, that's for sure? The Misfit is dead?

8/18/2020 07:43:30 pm

Unfortunately, it’s true. It was in a BBC update on him. I honestly couldn’t imagine how he would have been in a buffalo stampede if he was in an area where the rangers could keep him under observation. If you google what happened to the misfit you will need to do the “more results” at the end of the search page a couple of times. Look for the BBC article

8/19/2020 08:30:02 am

Dina, can you share the link please? I couldn't find it.

8/19/2020 09:58:55 am

I hope someone can come across an official update on him. I looked at all the dates on everything and I think y’all are correct, he was not the lion cub in the article. It was Alan who was trampled after he and his two brothers were poisoned. Does anyone know if they left the misfits name the same? One of the shows said that the cats get named after they reach the age of one. I have tried so many times to find something on the misfit and I just keep getting taken to the article about the poisoning and then of course the snippets of videos from the show, the latest being when he came of age. Thank y’all for pointing out that it was not the misfit who was trampled!!

Denys

8/19/2020 05:31:12 pm

Greetings all, from Canada,
Saw recently the episode on Africa's Hunters The Misfit, I was on the edge of my couch the entire film !!
This must have been one of the hardest episodes for you the film makers, but just read some of the crew went back the following year and that the cub survived !!!!!!!
God bless him and a long lion life !!
I was wondering if we will get to see a follow-up on the cub ??
I am very passionate about wildlife specially lions, did my very first safari February 2019 in Kenya at 63, reading a lot about George Adamson, Gareth Patterson, Jonathan Scott.
Stay safe all,
Denys Sarazin.

Thabo link

11/19/2020 02:45:22 am

I was deeply pierced observing how excrutiating the little Misfit was treated. But his courage and determination in following the pride really touched me, he never lost heart even when he was rejected. His courage in following the seemed to be paying off at the end, but I'm bit curious on whether he is still alive or not.

Sylvia

12/28/2020 07:26:52 pm

No the little cubs mother wasn't killed but in the same episode the little lion cub was. And the misfit was still alive name of the episode is "misfit comes of age".

Dyana Browne

4/13/2019 02:33:32 pm

I hope you can bring us up to date about whether the misfit grew into adulthood. I would love to see a picture of him today, if he did.

6/17/2019 08:42:16 am

Hi Dyana! The cub is actually alive and well. We are working at finding some information for you on the sequel. Thank you for your interest!

Ivvy link

6/13/2019 02:15:30 am

Please provide an update on the misfit

6/17/2019 08:40:05 am

Hi Ivvy! We followed up on this for you, and we finally have an answer, provided by a crew member from the film: "Yes, he lives! In fact a year later the same team went back, and found only three cubs left, yearlings by that stage, and he was one of them. He is recognizable by a weirdness in the iris of one eye. He's strong, and that year befriended a cub who had gone through a similar nightmare to him, and looked after this little lost cub whose mother was killed."

Alysia

6/19/2019 09:41:00 am

So thrilled to hear that he survived! It was such a heart breaking film to watch, particularly the parts where he was shunned by members of his family, including his mom. Thank you for finding out how he is doing...is there a way to add some copy to the end of the film that describes what you’ve told us here?

6/19/2019 10:03:33 am

Alysia,
It is not our film to edit, it is just on tour with us (and we are lucky to have it!). They did make another sequel, called Africa's Hunter's III: The Misfit Comes of Age, that you could definitely check out that I'm sure will provide lots of information about the cub and how it grew up.

Ivvy

8/8/2019 10:11:01 am

Thanks you for the wonderful news!!! I heard the misfit is now an adult and is thriving and enjoying nature. Love this beautiful story!!!

6/19/2019 04:23:01 pm

Thank you! I’ll have to check that out!

MARCUS OLIVEIRA

8/5/2019 01:09:12 pm

I have recently watched Africa's Hunters season 3 ep. 3 and I am glad to say that the Misfit now is an adult lion that plays a big row in hunting for the pride.

Alysia Renn

8/7/2019 01:00:01 pm

Great news! Thanks for letting us know!

8/8/2019 10:11:45 am

Thank you so much for this wonderful update!

Laura M. Keith

8/11/2019 09:42:41 am

Incredibly informative, inspiring, touching.... As is the story of Milo of the Mwamba pride. Gillian Burke's voice is incomparable. Thank you all so very much.

Lohb

9/1/2019 01:05:30 pm

Hi,
Does anyone have any idea about where to watch “Africa's Hunter's III: The Misfit Comes of Age”????
Does anyone know what happened with the cubs that does not appear in the second part?
How would they know that The Misfit is truly one of those cubs that remain in the pride?
Thanks,

9/3/2019 07:55:53 am

Hi Lohb,

Thanks for you're interest! If you google the title, there will be streaming options available to you. As for your other question, lions have markings and other identifiable characteristics that allow the filmmakers to correctly spot the Misfit and other lions. We're happy you're interested in following up about the cub!

Praskovya Popchuk

10/11/2019 12:58:03 am

Please please tell me there will be a season 4!!! The most touching story I ever did see. The misfit has my heart ❤️ so sad that his little brother misfit #2 died 😫😫

10/18/2019 10:33:30 am

It is hard to put into words the huge impact the Misfit and his brothers had on me ever since I came across their story. When I found out in the 3 seaon that the the Misfit is healthy and strong, although not a fully grown lion yet, I was the happiest person. Like you, PRASKOVYA, I am looking forward to hearing about a fourth season with the Misfit and his brothers in it.

11/20/2019 05:25:23 pm

Hi,

like everyone else here I falled in love with this little brave lion ! Have you any news about him maybe ? I read that his pride was took over, if it's true, what happened to the Mistfit and his siblings ? Hope they are fine.

Thank you :) !!

11/20/2019 08:16:40 pm

Hi Criseih!

The last we heard from the crew was when we reached out a few months ago for an update from one of the filmmakers, who said, "Yes, he lives! In fact a year later the same team went back, and found only three cubs left, yearlings by that stage, and he [the Misfit] was one of them. He is recognizable by a weirdness in the iris of one eye. He's strong, and that year befriended a cub who had gone through a similar nightmare to him, and looked after this little lost cub whose mother was killed."

I hope this information is helpful!

11/21/2019 02:17:22 pm

Thank you for your reply ! I did know about the Dreamer, sadly he died, but his mother was still alive at the end of this episode.

Have you any recent update about the Misfit ? (I already seen "Africa's Hunter" 3rd season)

11/22/2019 07:57:19 am

Hi Criseih,

We don't have any updates since that last update from over the summer. Like you, our thoughts are with the misfit though! 🦁

4/9/2020 04:36:57 am

Hoping to have some good news soon 🤞🏾

anna

12/2/2019 11:36:13 pm

Adoro questo cucciolo così tenero e coraggioso; mi ha portato via il cuore!

Laura Keith

4/9/2020 06:34:40 am

Hello, I've been thinking of all the felines, all the elephants and all their companions human and non in these times that are even more trying than usual. May you all fare well ....

みほ

7/31/2020 05:16:51 am

こんにちは！
初めてミスフィットのドキュメンタリーを観た時からミスフィットの事が忘れられません。
2019.12の情報では眼を怪我しているそうですが、その後、元気に暮らしていますか？
もう、prideから出て自分の群をつくれているのか、とても気になります。
情報をください🙇‍♀️

7/31/2020 09:22:40 am

Hi! Thank you for your interest in the Misfit! We haven't gotten an update since 2019, but we'll keep you posted!

8/3/2020 06:04:52 am

Hi! Abbey
返信ありがとう！
日本語だから返信は来ないかも…と思っていたけど、とっても嬉しいです✨
あなたは、とってもnice guyですね！！
あなたなら、きっと2020年の良い知らせをくれると思うから楽しみに待っています♪
体に気をつけてお仕事頑張って下さい🍀

8/5/2020 05:48:46 am

Hi! Abbey

ごめんなさい　abbey
あなたはconsiderateくてintelligenceなladyなんですね✨
ありがとう！

Marcus Vinicius

8/14/2020 07:07:04 pm

Hi everyone! I suppose we all want to hear news from the misfit. Hopefully next year we get to know something about him.

8/16/2020 09:10:40 pm

I love Misfit so much. He has what it takes to be a lion king.
Wish Misfit and his pride long-term safety and good health.
Please keep us posted on anything new from Misfit:)
Thank you!

Rachel

8/17/2020 01:35:00 am

Thank you for bringing us this impressive and touching story about Misfit. He really deserves to be admired!
I'm so touched by this story with the thought that animals indeed have their emotion as love and grief, and they could act even more bravely than us human, just to survive.
This is a beautiful story beyond words, Misfit, his pride, all the wildlife.
Hope we can learn more good news about Misfit and his pride very soon.
Blessing on their safety:))

8/19/2020 07:04:28 am

Dina, the lion you are referring to (the one who was poisoned and then trampled) is called Alan in the article. I think this is a different lion than the Misfit.
Can someone please verify this information?

8/19/2020 08:33:35 am

Hi, I would like to know too, can you share the article you are referring to please? Thank you.

8/19/2020 08:50:48 am

Found the article. I agree with you, Alysia, this wasn't about the Misfit at all, they talk about other lions in the Masai Mara and it was several years ago. The Misfit lives in South Luangwa.
Hope someone can check what really happened to the Misfit.

8/19/2020 09:38:56 am

Criseih,
Thanks for looking into this, too! It's obvious we are all invested in the Misfit after watching the heart-wrenching documentary several years ago! I had my husband and daughter watch it, and they got mad at me because it was so sad. lol So I was happy to tell them the update we got last year. The work these filmmakers do is just amazing, and we all appreciate their giving so much of their lives to bring us these amazing stories.

8/20/2020 12:37:41 am

Criseih&Alysia,

Thank you all for the information clarified!
It's wonderful to know many of us care about Misfit, thank you again:))
My best wishes to Misfit for his bright future.

8/20/2020 03:13:11 pm

The Misfit has touched so many people ! Hope he's doing fine too and to get some update on him 🙂

Amanda

9/5/2020 10:15:13 am

Alan is from a different pride and different TV show entirely -- Dynasties: LION, narrated by Sir David Attenborough. And Alan wasn't stampeded. He was poisoned and then euthanized. I was devastated upon reading someone's erroneous information about The Misfit and hope that posters are more cautious in the future not to provide tragic and WRONG updates again. The Misfit is a hero to me ... my dream is to visit him someday in Africa.

Sumanaa Chakraborty link

8/22/2020 10:36:13 am

I saw the misfit episode just yesterday, I couldn't sleep throughout the night. The crew has done an amazing job. They shoot it passionately. I'm enthusiastic to know more about misfit. How's he now in 2020, any updates? I would love to know bout him. Lots of love.
Sumana from India

9/5/2020 06:47:09 pm

Amanda here is an excerpt from the article saying that Alan had to be euthanized because while he was recovering from being poisoned he was attacked by buffalo. I didn’t know how to put the link so I copied and pasted

Alan was separated from the rest of his pride to recover, leaving him vulnerable to the attack from buffalo that left him with devastating internal injuries, Paul Udoto, from the Kenya Wildlife Service said.

He was wounded by the herd overnight on Tuesday, according to the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, and vets made the difficult decision to euthanize him after his condition deteriorated.

“The injuries sustained were too severe for any hope of a successful outcome,” a statement said.

“An autopsy revealed multiple serious wounds to the lungs and liver, along with a multitude of other injuries, which had made saving him impossible.”

I made a mistake about the identity of Alan but as you can see, he really did suffer from a buffalo attack while he was recovering from being poisoned. I do apologize for the mistake in thinking he was the misfit.

KELLY

9/7/2020 08:10:57 pm

Hi, Dina,

Don't mind.:)
We're all concerned about misfit.

I feel sad for Alan you mentioned.
Hope he rest in peace, no more suffering.

9/8/2020 12:01:25 am

Thank you, Dina, for providing that part of the article. I watched the episode of "Dynasties" about the making of the doc again tonight, and strangely, there was no mention of the buffalo attack. And in fact, Sir David Attenborough said that the vet arrived shortly after the pride left Alan and they showed him trying to save him from the poisoning. But he said it was too late. I wonder if Alan was stampeded the night before Charm came back for him ... I don't know why the buffalo attack was not mentioned on the episode itself. In any case, I felt so terrible for poor Alan when I first saw Dynasties. I read an article that he was the camerawoman's favorite and that he loved feasting on his meals. What a total tragedy.

But I'm so glad that it seems The Misfit is still alive and well. I hope somehow the series, Africa's Hunters is continued and that a third followup episode on the Misfit is produced. I loved seeing him as a teenager in "The Misfit Comes of Age." It totally made sense that the fearless and relentless Misfit refused to shared his meal with the crocodiles and actually challenged them to a match, and thanks to his mother, who came back to help him, he finally won his meal back. I just love that brave and comical lion ... he never gives up ... and serves as an inspiration to us all.

Sarita

12/8/2020 08:52:36 pm

I. LOVE. THE. MISFIT. Not to sound like a broken record, but any update on the little guy?

(I know he was bigger by season 3...and I hope he's gotten bigger!)

Noel MacLeod

12/15/2020 07:20:23 pm

My tears flowed, my heart broke then healed , was angered, then smiled. So many emotions during 1 hour of this little souls life.
I will never forget this amazing little guy and the love that goes out to him .
Please - as per all the other comments- let us know how he is ...
Thank you for your dedication in bringing their stories to us ! All these souls deserve so much respect, protection and love.
🕊🕊🕊

12/16/2020 12:01:20 pm

Hi all,

Thank you for your continued interest in the Misfit! We know he grows to be a healthy adult lion from the third episode of the third season, Africa's Hunters: The Misfit Comes of Age. People can watch this episode and the rest of the series online at CBS (https://www.cbs.com/shows/africas-hunters/video/vbspubqdi2oUNDkvwDrc3qFz0QPAoR_f/africa-s-hunters-the-misfit-comes-of-age/).

The series was discontinued in 2018 so the filmmakers and producers stopped filming and following this lion 2 years ago. They have moved on to film other animals in a different area now, so we know they won't be able to update us on this one particular lion anymore. However, if happen we hear anything in the future, we will be sure to let you all know!

"The Misfit" was a member of the Nsefu pride which mostly resides along the river in Zambia's South Luangwa National Park. Because they live right in the park, members of the Nsefu pride are often filmed and photographed, here they are interacting with some elephants: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/videos/category/smithsonian-channel/a-herd-of-elephants-interrupt-a-feasting-lio/. So it's not too hard to find updates on his pride in general.

However, during his last appearance on Africa's Hunters, the Misfit was only a few months away from being old enough to leave the pride and strike out on his own as adult male lions do. It doesn't seem like he was ever individually collared and as an adult he doesn't seem to have many distinguishing marks or features, except for maybe a lump on his right hip, so we are not sure anyone is keeping track of this particular lion or would recognize him. Your best bet is probably to inquire with someone at the South Luangwa National Park, the Zambian Carnivore Project https://www.zambiacarnivores.org/ or a local safari company (like https://robinpopesafaris.net/blog/category/its-monday/ or https://www.shentonsafaris.com/blog/hollywoods-and-nsefus/) to see if they might have seen him or know his status. But it may be tricky because not everyone uses the same nicknames for these lions, members of this pack have also been dubbed "The Punks" and "Wild Boys", etc. It's very possible no one really knows what he is up to now, because he is a wild animal out in the wilderness and he is not being individually tracked.

In our eyes we already know the end of the story and it's a happy ending. He's a wild, adult male lion living out the rest of his natural lion life just like the 20,000 or so wild lions that remain in Africa.

SARITA

12/23/2020 08:39:42 pm

When you put it that way, yes, he did have a happy ending! I like that insight.

Wasn’t the other male lion (his half brother?) older than he was? And were they the only two males in the pride? Is it possible they stay in the pride because there are no older male lions to kick them out? Do you know of any male lions that stayed in a pride despite being “too old” to stay?

The Misfit is so fascinating! He’s inspired so many of us to not give up and learn more about wild life.

12/29/2020 11:50:04 pm

Hi Abbey,

I agree with you in the fact that Misfit is a wild lion living out there with freedom and probably he might encounter the "circle" of a lion life as he is growing old....

Nevertheless, we just want to bond with Misfit, simply at the moment we knew how brave and indomitable he has acted all the way. There're no words I could put to describe how Misfit inspired me deep down.

Struggling to the very end, Misfit stands for all the wildlife which we as humans should respect and protect.
I really hope he is happy, safe and healthy throughout his beautiful life:))

TAE WOOD

1/25/2021 04:10:18 am

Any updates on Misfit?? 🥺🥺🥺😓

1/28/2021 03:06:56 pm

It's a huge disappointment that filmmakers chose not to ID The Misfit and track him later into his adult life. It's well established in lion filmmaking communities that lions can be identified by the patterns of whisker holes around their noses. Jonathan and Angela Scott always ID the lions they film and photograph and to keep the spotlight on them, they never stop filming the lions of the Marsh pride and other neighboring prides and continue to tell their stories generationally. Since there is still old closeup footage of The Misfit from "Africa's Hunters," it is clearly not too late to identify him if a naturalist/wildlife cinematographer/photographer decides to go out and film members of the Nsefu pride and other nearby prides as well, as they did in the latest show, "Big Cat Country," in which a brave and cheeky cub called Spotty reminds so many of us of The Misfit and his now eternalized youthful heroism.

I feel the producers and filmmakers of The Misfit owe it to The Misfit's many fans around the world to attempt to locate this one in a million male lion and provide updates on him, if not to devote another show to him and hopefully his current pride.

Allie

4/12/2021 08:05:24 pm

Agree so much! :( I TRULY hope we hear an update on him.

4/12/2021 08:04:38 pm

Any update on The Misfit? :( Please?

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Five Questions for Filmmakers: Africa's Hunters The Misfit

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