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00:00Hi, I'm Forrest Galante.
00:30Wildlife expert and conservationist.
00:36And I'm here to take you on a journey to a place you've probably never heard of.
00:44Because until now, it has been kept a secret.
00:48It is unmatched by any other place on earth.
00:54For those lucky enough to make it, it is a refuge, a sanctuary, a place to live their
01:01lives in safety and peace.
01:08In a world that has forgotten the importance of nature, a new Eden has been born.
01:17A place for animals to thrive.
01:22Because this isn't a zoo.
01:27This is an ark.
01:31This is Bantara.
01:55This is the world's largest animal rescue center.
02:013500 acres and still growing.
02:04It's the next best thing to nature.
02:09With expansive habitats that provide free range and enrichment.
02:16So if there's an animal in need, anywhere in the world, at any time, they will find a home
02:24at Bantara.
02:31There's more to rescuing animals than just providing them food and shelter.
02:35In order for them to truly thrive, you need to help keep them physically and mentally active.
02:41No one knows that better than Ayushman, one of the head keepers here at Bantara.
02:49Hey babies.
02:52Hey babies.
02:54Hey sweetie.
02:56Oh look at you.
02:57Hi baby.
02:59Uh oh.
03:00I'm surrounded.
03:01I'm outnumbered.
03:02I'm outnumbered.
03:03Just let them smell.
03:05Yep.
03:06Easy.
03:07Oh look at you.
03:10You're like a scratching pup.
03:11Yeah.
03:12These Eurasian bear cubs have come from the Middle East.
03:15They did not have a mother with them.
03:17They were around two months old.
03:19These guys have become that big that we need to start exercising their muscles properly.
03:24So we've made an enclosure where we've given them a little bit of climbing areas.
03:28We will be feeding them today and we'll be trying to get them accustomed to the paddock.
03:32Oh my goodness.
03:33Look at this.
03:34The butt wiggles too much.
03:39Good girl.
03:40In time, these young bears will only eat with their own species to avoid associating humans
03:46with food.
03:47But today, in an effort to acclimatize them to the new enclosure, I'm joining Ayushman in
03:52the pen.
03:53Oh, some mealworms.
03:54Give them small, small taste.
03:56Okay.
03:57Come, sweetie.
03:58Come on, you silly bears.
04:01Here, who wants?
04:03So generally what we do with this is we kind of spread it around the paddock and they spend
04:07a lot of time searching, smelling, yeah.
04:09Foraging.
04:10It's funny how food motivated bears are.
04:12It's literally in their biology as an animal that hibernates.
04:15When they can get calories, they must get calories.
04:18Easy.
04:19Oh, here come the milk bottles.
04:23Oh, yeah.
04:24Look at that.
04:26She's like, I got to drink this as fast as I can so that I can go get theirs.
04:30That's what she's thinking.
04:32Ah, ah.
04:33Easy, easy.
04:34Come, come, come.
04:35Me and the keepers have been like a mother to them.
04:40We have held them.
04:41We have, you know, like fed them.
04:43And we have given them that kind of emotional comfort that they need at this particular age.
04:47Slowly, slowly, we will be retracting.
04:50But the thing is, at this particular junction with them, we are the center of their gravity.
04:55This is important, right?
04:56Yeah.
04:57Very important.
04:58This is social bonding that they have to have.
04:59These are animals that have a family dynamic.
05:01Exactly.
05:02This kind of bond they have either with their caregivers or mothers or with their siblings.
05:06Yeah.
05:07And this is also very much important for the psychological growth.
05:11You have to understand that these are very, very creative creatures.
05:15They are used to using their paws.
05:17They are used to digging.
05:18They are used to, you know, be curious about everything around them.
05:23If we do not give them these avenues, it will start frustrating them internally,
05:28leading on to bad behavior, aggression.
05:31Generally, the animal would not be comfortable and happy at all.
05:35Look.
05:36It's empty.
05:37Look.
05:38Empty.
05:39Empty.
05:40Look.
05:41You guys need to understand.
05:42Empty.
05:43Done.
05:44It's gone.
05:45It's empty.
05:46Look.
05:47I know.
05:48At Ventara, even something as simple as the way an animal is fed can provide valuable enrichment.
05:51Okay, guys.
05:52Oh, look.
05:53Watermelons.
05:54Oh, that's fun.
05:57Look.
05:58There's another one.
05:59Here.
06:00You want a watermelon?
06:01Who wants a watermelon?
06:02There you go.
06:03Have they had melons before?
06:04No.
06:05Oh, this is the first time?
06:06Yeah.
06:07Oh, that's cool.
06:08It's not very coordinated.
06:09Yeah.
06:10Nom, nom, nom, nom.
06:14Bye, you silly bear.
06:16Bye, you silly, really bear.
06:18Oh, my goodness.
06:20That's a cute little thing.
06:23Anyone who has spent time with animals knows that they are not only emotional creatures,
06:29but often more intelligent than we give them credit for.
06:33Confining an animal to a cage or enclosure can have severe consequences on their physical
06:39and mental health.
06:40So it's important to keep the animal's brains busy.
06:45Even if you have to use some unconventional feeding methods.
06:50You know, I've dedicated my life to conservation and animals.
06:55And today, I'm putting that life on the line.
06:58It's all about behavioral enrichment here.
07:00And I want to make sure that these animals are as enriched as they can get.
07:05Might not be the safest thing we've ever done.
07:08If it's good for the animals, it's good for everybody.
07:11Kyle, come on in here.
07:12Mitch, you too.
07:13Here's what I need you guys to do.
07:16Take this honey.
07:17Smear it all over the shirt.
07:19And then take those nuts.
07:20Stick it on.
07:22Wow.
07:23Okay.
07:24You sure you want to do this, too?
07:28We're going to try it.
07:30Okay.
07:32Okay, that's got to be good.
07:36Here we go.
07:38You guys clear?
07:39You in a safe spot?
07:40Yep, we're clear.
07:41Okay, my Tosh.
07:42Release the beasts.
07:43Whoa, look at these.
07:44The raisins.
07:45You like the raisins.
07:46Here.
07:47Here.
07:48There you go.
07:49No, you're being too greedy.
07:50Look, raisins.
07:51Raisins.
07:52These are ring-tailed lemurs.
07:53They're one of the most beautiful creatures in the world and they're native to Madagascar.
08:07They make absolutely terrible pets.
08:08They get smuggled out of Madagascar.
08:09They get captively bred.
08:10And right here, they've created a rescue troop of animals from across the planet.
08:14And we thought, because most of them have been hand-raised, it would be fun to make ourselves
08:19a little bit of behavior.
08:20A little bit of behavior.
08:21There you go.
08:22There you go.
08:23No, you're being too greedy.
08:24No, you're being too greedy.
08:25Look, raisins.
08:26Raisins.
08:27Raisins.
08:28These are ring-tailed lemurs.
08:29They're one of the most beautiful creatures in the world and they're native to Madagascar.
08:32They make absolutely terrible pets.
08:35They make ourselves a little bit of behavioral enrichment and let them come and jump all over
08:40us.
08:41Lick some honey, eat some raisins and have fun because sadly, these animals can never go back
08:45into the wild.
08:46This is their life and they are used to human contact and they love it.
08:50And they're just one of nature's truly most beautiful and incredible little creatures.
08:55Look how adorable these guys are.
08:57Hi.
08:58You want one?
08:59Here, you want a nut?
09:00Oh, no yuck.
09:01He says, give me a raisin.
09:02You want a raisin for sure.
09:03There you go.
09:04I am so sticky.
09:05Recreating an animal's natural habitat as closely as possible might seem a bit over
09:20the top.
09:21But here, it is considered a very important part of who and what the animal is.
09:27Good boy.
09:28Their landscape is, weirdly, part of their identity.
09:32It is the land they are built for.
09:34So, cheetahs are not endurance athletes, they are sprint athletes.
09:37Exactly.
09:38And that's why you have built this big pen, right?
09:40Yeah.
09:41They can accelerate from zero to 70 kilometers per hour in just two seconds.
09:46Yeah.
09:47It's important for us to not only maintain their minds and keep them mentally stable and fit,
09:52but also to exercise their bodies and keep them physically fit.
09:56Today, we have one of our cheetahs to run inside this enclosure.
10:00When he arrived here, he was overweight.
10:03So, our first big thing was to get him on a proper diet and we found that he really enjoys
10:09the running.
10:10The running is really good for his physique and also his gastrointestinal health.
10:15So, what is this contraption you have laid out here?
10:18Yeah.
10:19So, this over here is our lure system.
10:21It's the only one that can sort of keep up with the cheetah.
10:24This is his first time.
10:25Yeah.
10:26So, we're hoping that he's actually going to chase the lure.
10:28And, yeah, don't blink because you'll miss it.
10:31Let's give it a try.
10:32All right.
10:33You ready?
10:34Ready for a run?
10:35Nice job.
10:36There it goes.
10:37What's that?
10:38What's that?
10:39Oh, it's moving.
10:40Pissing at it.
10:41You're very unsure of it.
10:54We pride ourselves in the fact that we don't force our animals to do anything.
10:58That's our ethos here at Vantara.
11:00You know, if they're not really entirely motivated, then they're not going to chase the lure.
11:05Last night they had a nice meal as well, so you could be a little bit lazy this morning.
11:09It's always a roller coaster ride working with animals.
11:12Nope.
11:13No interest.
11:14Well, we gave him the opportunity.
11:16We did?
11:17Yeah.
11:18We do have a king cheetah though that loves running.
11:20We can bring him out and see if he wants some exercise this morning.
11:23Let's put him back and try again.
11:28So, Xander is a king cheetah.
11:30He's a little less lazy, so he's going to be excited to chase our decoy today.
11:35I hope you're right.
11:36I really hope so too.
11:38Xander has come from a facility in South Africa.
11:41He's nine years of age, and yet he's our most avid runner.
11:47He's got a very sweet personality as well, very friendly.
11:50Hey buddy.
11:51Xander, what's up buddy?
11:53There he goes.
11:54There he goes.
11:55Oh yeah.
11:56Oh, look at him go.
12:02Good boy.
12:03Was that fun?
12:05Was that fun?
12:06Good boy.
12:08So, what position did you play?
12:13I believe you played some rugby in your time?
12:15I did.
12:16I was a flanker and a fly half.
12:17Oh, okay.
12:18All right.
12:19You need to be pretty fast for those positions.
12:20I was quick in my day.
12:21Quick enough.
12:22Yeah.
12:23I think we should give it a bit of a test and see how you can compete against Xander.
12:27To race him?
12:28Yeah.
12:29Yeah, let's give it a go.
12:30Oh wow, okay.
12:31Let's do it.
12:32Super.
12:33I'll give you a countdown.
12:39Okay.
12:40Both of you.
12:41And then we see how it goes.
12:43Oh boy.
12:44Okay.
12:45Oh no.
12:46Xander, you're going to embarrass me so hard, aren't you my boy?
12:50I'm already embarrassed.
12:51I haven't even done it yet.
12:56Okay, you guys ready?
12:58On the count of five.
13:00Four.
13:01Three.
13:02Two.
13:03One.
13:04On the count of five.
13:05Four.
13:06Three.
13:07Two.
13:08One.
13:09On the count of five.
13:10Four.
13:11Three.
13:12Two.
13:13One.
13:14Oh, that was cheating.
13:15I think he got a head start.
13:16He's a cheater.
13:17He's a cheater.
13:18Yeah.
13:19What can you say?
13:21It might look like fun and games, and it is fun, but running, racing, and play hunting are all valuable enrichment activities that ensure a healthy animal population.
13:34But before I can catch my breath, I get called to an emergency at the wildebeest enclosure.
13:50We have a population of surplus males over here.
13:53So we're going to move them to a bachelor group area.
13:56So if you don't do this, you end up having a lot of stress in the population.
14:01So the males will fight for the females, and they probably can be very aggressive towards the females as well.
14:07So that stress probably creates a lower reproduction in the herd.
14:12We remove them just to avoid all these problems.
14:23Nice shot.
14:32Any animal under anesthesia is a concern.
14:34So we need to make sure that the animal is breathing, that the heart is going well.
14:39There is also the possibility that the animal regurgitates.
14:42So positioning the animal is absolutely fundamental.
14:45I mean, any anesthesia is life-threatening for humans, for any animal.
14:50So we try to make the anesthesia as short as possible.
14:55One, two, three.
15:00I'm going to grab his horns here.
15:03Ready?
15:04One, two, three.
15:06Three.
15:09One more.
15:10Is that the male?
15:12No, this is a female.
15:13Female.
15:14You see, things like that happen.
15:17Sometimes when you go to these herds, and these animals that just come to age,
15:22they look like a female, yeah?
15:25So sometimes it's particularly difficult, you need to take your time.
15:28But it's also a good opportunity to take a good blood sample, to see the health status of that animal.
15:36So it's never a lost opportunity.
15:45She'll pop up pretty quick, right?
15:46Yes.
15:47Here we go.
15:52Okay, here we go.
15:54Here we go.
15:56All right.
15:58While the female recovers from the sedative in an isolated paddock, the clock is still ticking on our three males,
16:04which have to be relocated to their new habitat.
16:07Smells like a bunch of wildebeest in here.
16:11They've been down for a while already, huh, George?
16:1336 minutes.
16:14Already 36 minutes, which is longer than they should really be down for.
16:18So we're racing them over to the transport, to the larger paddock, the safari area.
16:23Then we'll be waking them up there, but it's getting to the point of touch and go with the time now.
16:28Here, let me help you.
16:30What's the temperature?
16:32One hour to the blind bike.
16:34Okay.
16:48So this one is still pretty warm, so they've now covered it in water to try to bring the temperature down.
16:53We're going to give it an intramuscular wake-up drug.
16:55Now they're weighing the other one over here.
16:57You can see it's like a conveyor battle of process.
17:00This one's starting to get some strength.
17:04Here we go.
17:08Okay.
17:11Here we go.
17:15All right.
17:16Success.
17:20There we go.
17:21Nice work, everybody.
17:22And there they are, our little herd of three heading out.
17:34As you can see, there are other wildebeest, all kinds of other animals on the horizon.
17:3850 acres.
17:39They're running on grass.
17:40They're getting to live a wildebeest life.
17:42Many of the animals at Ventara are rescued from dire situations.
17:51In this massive enclosure live dozens of mugger crocodiles, all saved from a single cramped cage.
17:59While some still bear the scars of captivity, they now live out their days with plenty of space.
18:07They're very relaxed, aren't they?
18:12All of these animals are basically captive bred at a farm in the south of India.
18:16So they're pretty used to people, so they're not worried about us.
18:19Or trying to eat us.
18:20Most of the time they're not trying to eat us either.
18:22Yeah.
18:24So I notice on a lot of these crocs there's missing limbs, missing bits of the tail.
18:28One over there is even missing half his jaw.
18:30Yeah.
18:31So once crocodiles are kept in really high densities, there's just intense competition during feeding.
18:36They pile one on top of the other and they grab and swallow whatever they can grab,
18:40which oftentimes includes their friends' toes, arms and what have you.
18:46Even right now, it looks like there's a lot of crocs in the same place.
18:49It's only because it's winter and they're catching spots of sunlight together.
18:53In warmer weather, you would be lucky to see even five crocs together in the same place
18:57because the enclosure is just so massive.
19:00This particular species, the marsh crocodile, is a fairly social animal.
19:04So keeping them in groups is beneficial for their long-term well-being.
19:07Muggers tend to like it like this.
19:12Generally speaking, with crocodiles or any other dangerous animals,
19:16people work in teams of two at the very least.
19:19And I think we're going to have Forrest give us a hand to feed them
19:23because the more muscle we can get on board for that job, the better.
19:27There's around 200 muggers in here, right?
19:28Yes.
19:29And this is about 400 kilograms of food.
19:31No wonder we can't lift the damn thing.
19:33Okay.
19:34Here we go.
19:35I'm very excited.
19:36You see they all line up.
19:37They have their feeding stations in place.
19:39Oh, yeah.
19:44This guy, coming in.
19:45Ready?
19:46Here you go, big guy.
19:48Nope.
19:49In the mouth.
19:50Nope.
19:52This guy right here.
19:53Catch.
19:54Nope.
19:55Oh, that wasn't bad?
19:56Yeah, not bad at all.
19:58Look at that pile of dinosaurs.
20:02Look at Stumpy over here.
20:03And he's missing half his upper jaw there.
20:05That's probably from the overcrowding, right?
20:07This one, yeah, it lost its upper jaw when it came to us.
20:10So those kinds of animals are the reason we have to sort out, make sure even the injured
20:14ones or the disadvantaged ones get as much food as possible.
20:18Here you go, ugly.
20:19Nope.
20:20Oh, almost lost more of his jaw.
20:22These particular group of animals we have are not ideal candidates for rewilding.
20:27Most of them are over 40 years old and captive-raised, if not captive-bred.
20:31They're not scared of people at all.
20:33And that sort of an animal being reintroduced into the wild can have potentially dangerous consequences.
20:38So these guys are all here for lifetime care at Mantara.
20:42Alright, first one to get the meat.
20:45Oh, never mind.
20:47Never mind, you win.
20:49I'm not sure what the crocodiles think, but I'd like to think I have a pretty good bond with them.
20:54Many of these animals I've literally known for 15 years at this point.
20:58So, yeah, they're very intrinsically linked to me in many ways, I'd say.
21:01That's it.
21:02Alright, one more competition.
21:03Ready? Quick one.
21:04Me first.
21:05You win.
21:07I love crocodiles.
21:08They're so much fun.
21:12For some rescue animals, not all scars are physical.
21:15Some struggle to socialize, even after arriving at Mantara.
21:20For endangered species that are part of the breeding program, like the Persian leopard, that shyness can be a problem.
21:26Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha.
21:29This beautiful cat is Pebbles, the only Persian leopard rescued here at Mantara.
21:34And as beautiful as she is, she's got these sort of psychological issues because she's imprinted on humans and not on other leopards.
21:47And in order for her to become a normal leopard, she needs some socialization.
21:51It's a big problem, and the keepers have had a hard time coming up with a solution, so I'm going to try something really, really weird and see if it works for her.
22:00Huh, Pebbles. We'll find you some friends.
22:02Yes, we will.
22:03Yes, we will.
22:04Persian leopards are solitary by nature, except when they seek out a mate.
22:13Which is why Vantara has built a massive sky bridge connecting leopard enclosures together.
22:19I'm hoping I can coax Pebbles out onto the bridge and introduce her to a mate.
22:25As you can see as you come in here, up this rock wall, that gives us access to the sky bridge.
22:36Now, Pebbles has no problem coming up on these rocks.
22:40As we've observed, she likes to crawl up here, and then even when this is open, she just won't take a step out into the sky bridge.
22:49So, what's crazy is cats love this Kelvin Klein obsession for men cologne.
22:55So, what I'm going to do is I'm going to take this, that $100 cologne, and just start spritzing it around the outside here,
23:02and hope that it acts as a scent attractant to bring her out into these tunnels.
23:09This is a derivative of civitone.
23:12Civitone is something that comes out of the scent glands in cats known as civets,
23:16but it drives other cats wild, whether that's competitive, whether that's for mating, whether that's for territorial marking.
23:23Very hard to say, but the civitone in this cologne, I think, is going to work to lure out a cat that otherwise refuses to come into these tunnels and go make a boyfriend.
23:33Hey, big guy. Hi. Hello. Psst, psst.
23:51If I can get Pebbles to follow our cologne to here, then she can have a soft socialization.
23:59She can get underneath these other cats, start to interact with them, and if that's successful, then we'll lure Pebbles up into the higher tube, and she can meet this cat.
24:10Hi, you smell this? What do you think of that? Smells good, huh?
24:13All right, buddy. Let's see if your future girlfriend gets as excited about this as you do.
24:21Hey, Pebbs. Hey, Pebbs.
24:24Let me give you a sneak peek. What do you think of this?
24:28Pebbles?
24:30What's this smell like? You like it?
24:32Oh, you like it. Look at that.
24:34Oh, ho, ho, ho. This might just work.
24:38All right. Come on, Pebbs.
24:39All right, come on, Pebbs.
24:43Not every animal species here at Ventara is as shy as Pebbles, though.
24:49Across the park, in a massive open-air enclosure, feeding time is a big party.
24:55All right, so what do we have here? Squirrel monkeys.
24:57Yeah, squirrel monkeys.
24:58We have 81 squirrel monkeys here.
25:07How many?
25:0881.
25:0981 squirrel monkeys?
25:10Yes, yes.
25:11Where have all these squirrel monkeys come from? That's a lot of rescues.
25:13Yeah, yeah, a lot of rescues.
25:15Mainly there's primates, they are trading, so for the different pet trades or for bushmeats.
25:21With their small size and playful demeanor, squirrel monkeys often end up in people's homes as pets.
25:29The problem is, they're wild animals.
25:32They're also highly social primates, with at least 25 different vocalizations they use to communicate within their group.
25:38Which means, they quickly grow bored and eventually destructive when confined alone.
25:44So, primate experts at Ventara, like Chetan, work hard to make sure these little guys never run out of things to do.
25:52So, we have some paper bags today.
25:54Yeah?
25:55So, we are putting some pellets.
25:57What's in these?
25:58These are all leaf eater pellets.
26:00So, we get all the nutrition of the leaf.
26:04And we use the insects also.
26:06Okay.
26:07We have live mealworms.
26:09They love these.
26:10Yeah, mealworms are the best.
26:11Because while this is giving them their fiber and their starches, that's giving them their fat and their protein.
26:16And the proteins, yeah.
26:17Yeah, that's great.
26:18So, before they came to Ventara, they are fed with different artificial foods, with like bread, biscuits.
26:24It's not good for the animal.
26:26It's a very high sugary content for the animals.
26:28It's not natural.
26:31You can see he's coming here.
26:33Oh, hi buddy!
26:34Look here.
26:35Don't tell your dad.
26:36Look.
26:37I got you one.
26:38Look.
26:43What are these contraptions that you've made?
26:45So, we have some of these cognitive enrichment for them.
26:48Cognitive enrichment.
26:49So, this is for them to become sharper, basically.
26:52Yeah.
26:53We'll put the mealworms inside these holes.
26:55So, inside the bamboos.
26:57How do they get them out of this?
26:59They have to use their minds to rotate them.
27:01So, it will fall from these holes.
27:03I think it would take me longer than the monkeys to get these out.
27:06Generally, in the wild, they'll forage and they'll be active in different times of the day.
27:12So, when we're hiding these foods in the paper bags and bamboos and these things, it will increase their mental health.
27:18So, it's very important for the animals.
27:21Oh, my goodness.
27:22Oh, my goodness.
27:23Look at them.
27:24Ha-ha!
27:25Come on!
27:36That'll give them some good enrichment.
27:37Way the heck up here, huh?
27:38Yeah.
27:39They're inspecting now.
27:42Wow.
27:43That's great.
27:44Look at them.
27:45They are bobbing that thing.
27:46One thing I have to constantly remind myself about when I'm here at Ventara is this is not open to the public.
27:53So, the fact that these animals have a literal lake and a waterfall is simply for the enrichment of the squirrel monkeys.
28:00It's to make them feel like they're at home somewhere in the Amazon where there's moving water.
28:05This is not for anybody to see.
28:06Nobody comes here.
28:07It's such a crazy thing.
28:11When we rescued these animals, we saw a lot of stereotypic behaviors.
28:15So, they are sitting in one corner and they were very scared and they're over-grooming.
28:20And you can see now they are showing normal behaviors.
28:23They are happily, they are roaming and they are doing all their monkey businesses.
28:33Here at Ventara, no expense is spared when it comes to recreating an animal's natural habitat.
28:40From the arboreal home of the squirrel monkeys to the high-speed hunting grounds of the cheetah.
28:46But Ventara's most iconic species, the Bengal tiger, can travel up to 12 miles on a single hunt.
28:54So, how do you recreate that in a preserve?
28:57These tigers do have come from a very bad past.
29:02Maybe torture, starvation, small confined spaces, concrete flooring.
29:08Then we realized that wherever they were, they were only hand-fed.
29:12So, in this whole paddock also, we tried to do the same thing.
29:16So, these animals are fed in the paddock.
29:18To just get these animals out of that human dependency that, you know, they can be in the wild.
29:23They can be tigers.
29:24Just run around, play around and eat to survive.
29:28And so, this is our...
29:32Look at this thing! Oh my goodness!
29:35Behind us is a customized 4x4 vehicle that helps us and the team to be in the paddock with us being in the cage and the animals just around.
29:45So, this truck helps the caretakers and the animals to be safe at both ends.
29:50So, it's like conditioning them to get used to being tigers?
29:54Tigers, yes.
29:55So, I'm gonna go in here and feed them?
29:56Yeah, yeah, surely.
29:58Oh, this is gonna be fun!
30:00All right, thank you!
30:02All the best!
30:03Good luck!
30:06Here we go.
30:07This is my first time ever going in a cage to visit wildlife as opposed to seeing wildlife in a captive facility through a cage.
30:16Then, before you know it, we're gonna be swarmed by tigers.
30:19Or at least I hope so.
30:29All right.
30:30Here, kitty, kitty, kitty, kitty!
30:34I don't know if that's how you call tigers or not.
30:39I feel like bait.
30:41Come on, tigers!
30:43Here, kitty, kitty, kitty!
30:45Oh, God!
30:47Hi, bud.
30:48Come up here, come on.
30:49Come up here.
30:51Up here's where the meaty is.
30:53Whoa, he can get his whole paw through there.
30:55Look at that.
30:56Ah!
30:58Oh, God!
30:59This guy came out of nowhere.
31:02Oh, man!
31:03Oh, God!
31:04Oh, God!
31:06There are tigers all around.
31:07Oh, here comes a fourth.
31:09There are four tigers.
31:11Hey, what's this?
31:12Look what I got.
31:14Hi!
31:15Hello, big kitties.
31:16Wow!
31:17Hello!
31:18Oh, my God!
31:19Hi, buddy.
31:20Look at you!
31:21Wow!
31:22This is definitely the closest I've ever been to a tiger, and I'm the worst perspective.
31:38I feel like prey.
31:40Oh, my God!
31:41Oh, my God!
31:42Oh, my God!
31:44Whoa!
31:46Here you go.
31:48Wow!
31:49Look at this!
31:51Oh, God!
31:53Yeah!
31:58This is awesome.
32:02Want this?
32:03Whoa!
32:05That is so cool.
32:06Well, this has been so unbelievably amazing to see these big, magnificent animals out here
32:11getting to learn to be tigers while also enjoying a little bit of enrichment that I got to be a part of.
32:17Truly an amazing experience.
32:20Look, he's chilling out now.
32:23Unfortunately, since they were raised being fed by humans, the tigers I met today can never be reintroduced to the wild.
32:30But since they're at Ventara, they'll live a life with wide open spaces, stimulating enrichment, and most importantly, dignity.
32:39An important part of animal enrichment is being in control of their own life, to be free to browse, to feed, and to walk on their own time.
32:57Obviously, in a facility like this, it's not possible, but it is recognized as an important part of life for the animals.
33:05So in the elephant kingdom, every morning at dawn, the elephants are let out of the night enclosures and encouraged out into the forest to walk, explore, and socialize.
33:16The elephants enjoying their morning stroll come from a variety of backgrounds, some from overwhelmed zoos, some from lumber camps, others from circuses.
33:29The use of elephants in circuses is now banned in India, and 50% of all the circus elephants that remain alive today now live here.
33:37So this big, beautiful girl is Lilavati and her Mahut Raj here. Now Lilavati, as stunning as she is, she's had a pretty troubled time in her life.
33:50So if you look on her back and her hind legs, you'll see some crazy, crazy pink coloration.
33:56And that pink coloration is scarring because Lilavati was like one of over 200 elephants here, a circus elephant.
34:04And she was forced to perform in a life of slavery her whole life.
34:08Now, one day, sadly, that circus caught fire.
34:11And as everybody evicted the circus, she was chained to the pole.
34:15And as the tent caught fire, it fell down around her, covering her entire body in third degree burns, leaving her for dead.
34:23Now, they heard about this here at Ventara.
34:26Anadambani sent his team down there immediately.
34:29And she still had a heartbeat.
34:30And they brought her back here in critical condition with Raj her Mahut.
34:35And this big, beautiful girl now gets daily laser therapy, gets a hyperbaric chamber with oxygen.
34:42And even after close to two years, she still has these sores and this scabbing that are slowly healing up from how bad this giant burn was.
34:50But imagine being in a tent like that and the whole thing catches fire and it drapes down over your body, literally melting your skin away.
34:57And here she gets to live in a life of luxury.
35:00Hi, big girl.
35:07In order to promote healing and recovery, they're pumping in 100% pure oxygen into the burn area.
35:34Which obviously helps condition the healing and oxygenate the skin and help revitalize it.
35:40And she just gets to hang out here and eat fruit.
35:44And when she's done with her oxygen therapy, she'll get a little laser treatment on the skin as well.
35:49But just such an unbelievably beautiful and sad story.
35:53But knowing that she gets to live out the rest of her days here in such happiness is just so beautiful.
35:59And I'm tired, it's quite a little of reading.
36:00This is why, a queen, and hard work.
36:02Ah, um, then, the last thing I see about it is going over here.
36:22Meanwhile, back at the leopard habitat, my friend Pebbles is working up the courage to
36:40leave her enclosure.
36:42Hi sweetie! Hi! You smell all that? Smell good? Oh, here we go. She sees it. She sees the door open.
36:55See, she's starting to get the scent. She's lifting her nose up now. Good girl, Pebbles.
37:00Yeah, what's that? See, the problem is this is what she's been doing. She comes up, she looks
37:05out, and then she doesn't have the gusto to go out there. But, look, look, look, she's locked
37:10onto the scent. She's locked onto the scent. Here she comes. See, she's sniffing around.
37:20She's getting all that scent. Here she goes. Here she goes. She's coming out. Look at this.
37:27She's sniffing. She's rubbing on all the scent, and she's slowly making her way towards the
37:32male here. The male is glued onto her, so they're just starting to get that bond, that sight of
37:37each other. It's all happening from the silly perfume, but it's given her enough of a motivation,
37:42enough confidence to move towards the male. But this is the first step in her socializing.
37:47Hi, Pebbles. Look up. Look, look, look, look. There's your boyfriend for you. See, she's
37:52smelling it. She's smelling the scents. That's it. They're connected. They're seeing each other.
37:58And later, we'll move her up into the upper tunnel, and the two can come together for the first time.
38:05I'm not.
38:26Enrichment is a complex science, and it varies from species to species day to day. It takes
38:32the form of carefully regimented mental stimulation, high-tech treatments, and physical conditioning.
38:39But it can also take the form of fun, which is why the staff is throwing a birthday party for Shady.
38:49It is Shady the orangutan's sweet 16 birthday party, and Chef Wilfred has made him a beautiful fruitcake.
38:57In addition to that, we put on the best of the best TV because we know that he loves TV.
39:02We decorated his enclosure, and now what we're gonna do, let Shady out from his night cell,
39:06and let him come enjoy his birthday party.
39:09Let's go. Bring him in.
39:17Wow, he is big.
39:22There you go, Shady boy. Look what you got there.
39:25Oh, yeah. Of course you're going for the pineapple and not the keg.
39:34I think he's on a diet.
39:36When Shady first arrived, he was very destructive and very timid.
39:40He kept to himself, and now he explores and he approaches our keepers and has bonds with all of us.
39:46He's a happy boy, yeah.
39:48Oh, there goes that one.
39:49It's really amazing to watch these animals come out of their shells and allow us to become part of their lives daily and interact with us and just trust us overall.
40:01If he doesn't eat that, I swear I'll eat it.
40:14Even the smallest enrichment activities, such as a birthday party for an ape, make a world of difference.
40:22It's these careful considerations that mean the difference between surviving and thriving.
40:28Well, I do this because of them, you know, I think I understood from a very young age that they haven't always got the capacity to help themselves.
40:40And that was the big driver behind my my passion to work with animals.
40:44The way that I can communicate with them, I'm not sure that I can with humans or anybody else.
40:51So it's a very special thing. I can't even explain it to you. It's like a feeling that just overwhelms you.
40:57We are not the dominant here in this world. So animals, plants and everything, we all live together.
41:04So it's a responsibility and duty of each and everyone to take care of these speechless animals.
41:08If you are born in this beautiful planet and you share this space with these beautiful creatures, you have a purpose in life.
41:17And here at Vantara, this is a basic calling for everyone.
41:21It's a calling that comes from within. And I'm very grateful to be in this mission with Vantara.
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