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00:00Hi, I'm Forrest Galante.
00:30Wildlife expert and conservationist.
00:38And I'm here to take you on a journey to a place you've probably never heard of, because
00:46until now, it has been kept a secret.
00:50It 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
01:03lives in safety and peace.
01:10In a world that has forgotten the importance of nature, a new犬 has been born, a place
01:19for animals to thrive.
01:24Because this isn't a zoo, this is an ark, this is Bantara.
01:36This is the world's largest animal rescue center.
02:013,500 acres and still grown.
02:08It has several thousand animals, hundreds of species, the best husbandry, access to the
02:17best vets and handlers in the world, and rescue teams that work to help animals in need anywhere
02:24in the world at any time.
02:34Just after dawn, one of those teams has brought in several truckloads of reptiles rescued from
02:40illegal markets.
02:42And let's see what's in the box over here.
02:46With no time for breakfast or uniforms, it's a race against time to examine each animal, administer
02:52care and get them sorted into newly built terrariums.
02:56Is this all turtles too?
02:59Are they marsh terrapins?
03:00Which species are they?
03:01Pelusius.
03:02Pelusius.
03:03African mud turtle.
03:04Pelusius.
03:05Yeah.
03:06All right, so take a look at this.
03:07Ventara here has just received a big shipment, and you can see the holes in their shells.
03:11So these have been captured for food markets because those holes indicate a drill in the
03:15hole where they then will rope them up in big piles.
03:18So a lot of these turtles are in really unhealthy condition.
03:20They were all confiscated, and there are tons of boxes here.
03:24Sid, how many turtles have you got so far?
03:26More than 400 turtles right now.
03:28In this shipment?
03:29In this shipment.
03:30And you haven't even opened these boxes?
03:31Yeah.
03:32Cool.
03:33So these are water turtles.
03:34These are aquatic species.
03:35They need access to both water and land, but a lot of the times they're kept with no water
03:40for, honestly, God knows how long.
03:43That causes a stress response in the animal that messes up their livers.
03:47So everybody will be on hepatic liver medication and just supplements to help them manage the
03:53stress.
03:54See how these open wounds from rubbing and scratching.
03:58They started eating each other in the box where they were kept.
04:02Yeah.
04:03And what's sad about this is these could have been sitting in a market for months,
04:05you know, and they won't feed them or anything.
04:08And let's see what's in the box over here.
04:12What's crazy here is there is not enough space for all these turtles.
04:15Turtles require quite a lot of space, but part of the never say no policy here is figure it
04:19out.
04:20We're going to a different site now called LC1.
04:23There, there are ponds and tubs getting set up because ingesting this many animals that
04:27all need medical attention is a huge mission and quite simply that site was overflowing
04:32because freshwater turtles are the most trafficked animal in the world.
04:37So when you send a tiger somewhere, it's a tiger.
04:40When you ship turtles, it's hundreds and hundreds of turtles in one go.
04:45And this is just one quarter of one of the 12 ambulances that came in today with turtles,
04:51snakes, lizards, you name it.
04:53It's all come in.
04:54And this is just sort of another day in the life of a rescue mission event.
04:58All right.
04:59Look at this.
05:03It's just sort of never ending.
05:06This is the quarantine site.
05:08So the turtles have been set up at their quarantine tubs right now.
05:11We just made sure the water quality is good.
05:13The temps are good.
05:14We're not going to feed them today.
05:16We're just going to let them settle in.
05:17We have some electrolytes and some vitamins in their water.
05:20Hopefully they can just recuperate and just hopefully they know that they're safe now.
05:29For the next several days, this team will continue to provide assessments and care to this massive
05:34rescue group.
05:36In the meantime, there are other animals that require less urgent need.
05:40The animals are safe to where they are.
05:42Here, I'm going to look for them.
05:42The animals are safe to be alive.
05:43Hello, you little murder chicken.
05:45You are a dangerous creature.
05:48Uh oh.
05:49Uh oh.
05:50Uh-oh. Uh-oh.
05:53Priya, come.
05:55No murdering.
05:58This thing is one of the most aggressive
06:01and crazy animals in the world.
06:03You wouldn't think that looking at its funny,
06:05chubby little complexion, but even being this close
06:08to a pygmy hippo is incredibly dangerous.
06:10So Ramesh has asked me to help by luring Priya
06:14into the night cell, giving her some food,
06:16and then helping clean her pond.
06:18But we have to do that without getting mauled
06:20by this crazy little critter.
06:23Come, Priya.
06:24Come on!
06:25To night cell.
06:26Come on, Priya.
06:29Oh, sweet. Look at that.
06:32There are so many giant, large predators here at Ventara,
06:35things that would absolutely mess you up,
06:37like tigers and lions and bears.
06:40And of all of them, this thing's probably scarier
06:42than any of them.
06:45Wow.
06:46Oh, you feel like a whale.
06:49Just fat, squishy, slimy.
06:51Look at all that slime.
06:52That's why they said gloves.
06:53And that's because hippos will emit a natural sunscreen
06:56through their skin to keep them from burning.
06:59First time I've ever pet one of these funny giant potatoes.
07:02Let's go clean.
07:07Wow, this water is dirty.
07:09Yes.
07:10Ramesh, how often do you have to clean this tank?
07:13Every day.
07:14You change the water daily?
07:15Every day.
07:16Oh, my goodness.
07:18If you're asking yourself,
07:19why would you have to change the water so much?
07:22A hippo, when it poops, it sprays its poop with its tail
07:27all around to mark.
07:28Now, adding that to water is literally a recipe for poop soup.
07:32And so if you don't change this water on a daily basis,
07:35you end up with this green, brown, toxic sludge
07:39that becomes fully anoxic.
07:45Oh, look at that.
07:46I got the hippo keeper jackpot for the day.
07:49Just a nice lot of hippo turd right there.
07:52And what's funny is taking it out of the water
07:55and spreading it around the vegetation like this
07:59actually acts as a natural fertilizer.
08:01A little win-win.
08:09All right, it's been a few hours.
08:10The pool is now crystal clear.
08:11The whole habitat has been picked up,
08:13so it's time to let Priya come out.
08:15Okay, Ramesh.
08:19Come on.
08:21Here she comes.
08:24Come on, Priya.
08:27Look how clean your pool is.
08:28Look.
08:30Oh, she's locked in on me.
08:33Uh-oh.
08:36Look, I got your watermelon.
08:37Go splash in.
08:43Here we go.
08:45How funny is that?
08:46She's chasing the watermelon in like a dolphin
08:48with a ball heading back into this crystal clear.
08:50She's got some snacks, some treats, everything's cleaned up.
08:54This really changed my perception of how mean and crazy these things are.
08:59She's more food motivated than fear motivated, which is pretty awesome.
09:03She pooping already?
09:04Ah, yes.
09:05It's lunchtime all across Ventara.
09:06So while Priya polishes off her watermelon.
09:07Thank you very much.
09:08I'm off to serve some more demanding residents.
09:09Wow, look at all this meat.
09:10Right now here we have the Asiatic lions.
09:11These are one of the big cats found in India.
09:13There's this great initiative of Ventara with the Indian government to have a Asiatic lion breeding and conservation center.
09:18So I, with my team, take care of these big cats.
09:19Today, Forest would spend a day with our team.
09:20Help them feed, clean, clean, and clean.
09:21I'm off to serve some more demanding residents.
09:22I'm off to serve some more demanding residents.
09:23Wow, look at all this meat.
09:24Right now here we have the Asiatic lions.
09:26These are one of the big cats found in India.
09:29There's this great initiative of Ventara with the Indian government to have an Asiatic lion breeding and conservation center.
09:36So I, with my team, take care of these big cats.
09:44Today, Forest would spend a day with our team.
09:47Help them feed, clean, and be around this majestic lands.
09:53Look at the size of that heart.
09:55That's a water buffalo heart, right?
09:56It is.
09:57I mean, there's a lot of minerals in there.
09:59So right now we're preparing meat for a specific individual large male Asiatic lion named Tej.
10:06So Tej was human-wildlife conflict.
10:09Yes, most of the lions do get into human-wildlife conflict.
10:13Especially in gear.
10:14There are incredible videos floating around the internet where you see lions walking through markets
10:19and walking next to busy streets and things like that.
10:23And sometimes those lions end up in conflict with people.
10:27Now when you trap one of those lions, it can't go back into the wild.
10:31Why is that?
10:32Because they are used to humans and humans are not so comfortable with lions roaming around them.
10:37Okay, there he is.
10:38Yeah.
10:42That's intimidating.
10:50That's a hungry kitty.
10:52We're gonna feed Tej one piece at a time through the chute here.
10:57There you go, bud.
11:01There we go.
11:02Oh, yeah.
11:03Excited.
11:11Wow, the sounds in here are just incredible.
11:13But watch how excited he is for this piece of meat.
11:15Ready, buddy?
11:16There's something instinctual in us as human beings that when you hear that lion roar, it makes your skin crawl.
11:28It makes you feel as though you're going to die.
11:31And it's from the fact that human beings originated on the African continent, we've grown up across the planet with these sounds, that means to me that there is nothing more instinctually intimidating than listening to that.
11:44That was crazy.
11:50With all the sounds of roaring lions and tearing meat, you might miss the youngest residents here in the night pens, but in many ways, they're the most important.
12:00So these cubs were born here at Ventara.
12:03Is this the first generation?
12:05Yes.
12:06That's amazing.
12:07Congratulations.
12:08So because these cubs are eventually going to go into a rewilding program, it's a no-contact situation.
12:17This first generation with us cannot be sent back to the wild because they have this human imprint.
12:23The cubs, the second generation, third generation, we try to remove that human imprint from them.
12:28So if released in the wild, they would not treat humans as a source of food.
12:33These Asiatic lions are now only found in India.
12:37There may be around 800 left in the wild.
12:40So the numbers itself tells us how endangered these species are and how and why important it is for us to conserve these species.
12:47With our team's efforts, we will surely get those numbers to a good level that our future generations would see the Asiatic lions in the wild.
12:55Keeping these cubs separate from the keepers is a critical component to reintroducing them back into the wild.
13:03After all, they'll need to make decisions without a human hand.
13:08In other situations, though, the human hand becomes critically important.
13:14Oftentimes, rescued animals can arrive at Ventara with a range of ailments.
13:19Some suffer from disease.
13:22Others have endured years of abuse.
13:26This shoebill is a rescue from northern Zambia.
13:32It has refused to eat.
13:34An intake x-ray of the animal's stomach reveals an all-too-common cause.
13:39Three metal fishhooks likely left in a shoebill's lunch by a negligent fisherman.
13:45If they're not removed, they can cause a perforation and eventually kill the shoebill.
13:51So, Dr. George and I have had many discussions about what to do with the shoebill here.
13:58So he's up on his rock there.
14:00It appears to be one of his favorite spots.
14:02Every time we look at him, he's up there.
14:04Late last night, you really had an idea.
14:16Yeah.
14:17So the idea is simple.
14:18What we're gonna do is we're gonna take these tilapia, which is a favorite food of the shoebill.
14:23And then what are we gonna do, Dr. George?
14:25We're just gonna put some cotton inside.
14:27So a small quantity just to go around the tip of the hooks.
14:32Right.
14:33It's very unconventional, but the idea is as this goes through the digestive tract,
14:37because it has so many fibrous bits to it, maybe, maybe the hook will go in,
14:43and as the digestion aids, it'll tangle in this and then just pass through.
14:48And the bird won't digest this, is that right?
14:50It will not.
14:51We're just gonna take the cotton.
14:52Can I have a little bit more?
14:53We're gonna absolutely shove it in the internal area, like the gut cavity of the tilapia.
15:00I'll even put a little in the mouth here.
15:02Sure.
15:03And the good thing about cotton is it won't create a blockage.
15:06Even if this doesn't grab the hook, it'll still get passed through.
15:09Yes.
15:13Okay.
15:14So there we go.
15:15This technique has shown success in some marine mammals, but this will be the first time it's tried on a bird like a shoebill.
15:21Why don't you go this way?
15:23I'll go around this way.
15:24Unfortunately, shoebills seem to hate the smell of latex gloves.
15:28So we're gonna get a little fishy.
15:30It's coming this way.
15:32You can see he just does not want to take the fish.
15:33It's coming this way.
15:34It's coming this way.
15:35It's coming this way.
15:39All we need is for him to digest this and try and get that cotton down and see if it works.
16:07All right, we're gonna try one more time.
16:15Maybe we just force feed him, huh?
16:17Yeah.
16:18Sometimes with these wild animals, you need to restrain and you need to force feed us because they will not do it voluntarily.
16:27Obviously, in a way that it's not harmful for the animal.
16:31And it's not harmful for you because that beak can actually damage you a lot.
16:38There we go.
16:40Okay.
16:41Okay.
16:42All right, buddy.
16:43You gotta do it.
16:44You gotta do it.
16:45Yep.
16:46I will.
16:47All right.
16:48There we go.
16:49There we go.
16:50We'll just hold the beak for a second.
16:52Massage it down a little bit.
16:53So sad that it had to come to this, but he was not gonna take the fish, so we're doing a little bit of a force feed.
17:03And just look at, while we're doing this, as he's closed his eyes, look at where that unbelievable shoebill name comes from.
17:10They sound like machine guns when they make that call.
17:14They're an ancient species of bird.
17:16There you go.
17:17There's a good birdie.
17:18Yeah.
17:19There he goes.
17:20Good birdie.
17:21Good job.
17:22That was the best.
17:23Sorry, I'm fishing.
17:24It was the best we could do, though.
17:26Hopefully, that works.
17:27Yeah, yeah.
17:28Hopefully, it goes in.
17:29I did not know when we woke up today, we'd end up force feeding a shoebill of fish full of cotton.
17:34So, let's see.
17:37All we can do now for the Malnaris shoebill is wait.
17:49There's no shortage of work here at Ventara.
17:53And the team processing the rescue shipment from the market have a fresh delivery.
18:00Horse?
18:01West African dwarf.
18:02Yeah, little West African dwarf crocodile.
18:05Yeah.
18:06Yeah.
18:07Yeah.
18:08So, what happens a lot of the times is they fed the rancid meat or not fed at all in crocodiles.
18:24As sturdy as they are, they're very susceptible to stress as well.
18:27Uh-huh.
18:28That's the main killer of crocodiles is stress, for sure.
18:31The dwarf crocodiles have come from these rescue centers where they confiscate a lot of dwarf crocodiles being smuggled.
18:38Most of the times, the poachers, they escape.
18:41They cannot catch them.
18:43And they end up caring for those crocodiles there, in their facility, unable to manage them.
18:48They came in in a very bad condition, with absolutely no tail fat, with shrunken stomachs.
18:56So, where are these guys going, Michelle?
18:59Right now, we are putting them in the periphery cages for observation.
19:02Okay.
19:03Make sure that everybody is feeding, everybody is well, everybody is clean, then they go into the permanent big planet.
19:09Want me to open this one?
19:12This one's much smaller.
19:17Is this one partially leucistic?
19:18Yeah.
19:19Yeah.
19:20Wow.
19:21That's kind of cool.
19:22A lack of pigmentation, known as leucism, is extraordinarily rare in the wild, especially among a vulnerable species like the dwarf crocodile.
19:31Jesus, that's a lot of animals.
19:33Oh, this one's tiny, small.
19:35Let's go.
19:36I'll take some to the pond with you guys.
19:38So, this is all crocs in these two.
19:40What about that one?
19:41Crocs, too?
19:42Same.
19:43Oh, my God.
19:44Water is important to almost every animal, but dwarf crocodiles do need the water to cool off, to hunt, and also to mate.
19:52So, we already have outdoor enclosers with land and water, access to direct sunlight.
19:57And once they become good enough to go into a larger water body with a larger group of animals, we will shift them to their holding enclosers.
20:04This is an aquatic creature that hasn't seen water in probably a month, you know?
20:09So, this is going to be a very relieving moment for these little guys.
20:15Go on.
20:16Look at that.
20:17Isn't that nice?
20:18It's almost like they don't even know what to do anymore.
20:22Let's get some more.
20:24It's been quite a journey for these dwarf crocodiles.
20:28From the meat market, to a wooden crate, to the first bath they've had in weeks.
20:33Oh, that must feel so good.
20:36It can be overwhelming to see the sheer volume of rescued animals arriving at Ventara.
20:42But at least for these crocs, today is a very good day.
20:47It feels fantastic to be able to take in these animals that were suffering, that are in very poor condition,
20:54and knowing that we have the infrastructure and the skill sets to get these animals back to their health.
21:01Human intervention in a place like Ventara usually means medical care or even surgery.
21:20the little jobs serve an important role too.
21:27Here we have all of the rescued meerkats and these guys are very inquisitive animals that get bored very, very quickly.
21:48So we went out, found some logs that smell good, have all kinds of little nooks and crannies for them to investigate.
22:00And to make it even more fun, we put some mealworms for them to come get new smells, dig at the rotting wood,
22:05look for some termites, and let these rescue meerkats be meerkats.
22:10There they all go, panic mode.
22:27Meerkats have such a unique and interesting social dynamic.
22:30They have one sentinel that stands out that's usually a male and he watches for any threats of danger in their native habitat.
22:37That can be an eagle, that can be a jackal, that can be a snake.
22:40And he'll communicate to tell the others if it's safe or if it's dangerous.
22:44And right now, hear that little frog sound?
22:47That's the male saying, the threat is still here, don't go out right now.
22:53And you can see they're sticking their little noses out to look at me to see if I am a threat.
22:57They're not going to come out while I sit here, so let's head out.
23:01So we attached the phone to a stick and turned it onto selfie mode and flipped it around and now the meerkats are operating the phone and staring at themselves.
23:30There you go, they're exploring their new log.
23:45They love it.
23:46And in this whole giant enclosure, the thing that they've queued in on is the brand new scents, smells and sounds of this log getting chewed on, crunched on and the little worms in it.
23:55It's great to see them getting a little bit of enrichment.
23:59I think we've got to give them a camera operator credit.
24:06Never in my life have I been anywhere where the enclosures are so spotlessly clean.
24:23Which you would think is for us as humans, but it's not.
24:26Every enclosure is designed with the utmost animal welfare in mind.
24:30And that includes this massive tank, built for a cousin of the crocodile, the ghariel.
24:43What's up with this?
24:44Why is it so filthy?
24:45Boss is not going to like that.
24:46Oh, you think it's filthy?
24:47Look at it.
24:48There's smudges up top.
24:49There's algae down below.
24:51You go and clean it.
24:52I go and clean it?
24:53You better be careful.
24:54The ghariels are getting cheeky.
24:55Are they?
24:56Yeah.
24:57Is that why you're draining the pond?
24:58Exactly.
24:59That's why we drain the pond.
25:00Oh, because they come and bite the boys?
25:01Yeah.
25:02I bet you I could clean this for you without draining the pond.
25:05Without draining.
25:06I think so.
25:07Let's take the challenge then.
25:08Okay, let's go.
25:09Bring it on.
25:10I'll clean your tank for you.
25:11Oh.
25:16Oh, God.
25:25I don't know if I'm a huge fan of this idea anymore.
25:28They're a lot bigger when you're in here.
25:32Okay.
25:38Oh, God.
25:39Oh, God.
25:40Oh, God.
25:41Oh, my feet.
25:43Oh, boy.
25:44Oh, boy.
25:45Oh, boy.
25:46Oh, boy.
25:47Oh, boy.
25:48Oh, God.
25:52I feel like I'm very likely to lose a towel.
26:02Are there any between us?
26:09Oh man, they look a lot more fearsome than I thought they were going to.
26:32You missed it.
26:33Oh yeah, you think I missed a spot?
26:36LeMond's giving me from the outside.
26:39I should have kept my mouth shut.
26:47Before heading home for the day, I want to check in on the reptile habitat.
26:51The team continues to divide up the rescues,
26:54and they're now unpacking the most dangerous cargo yet.
26:58Oh my God, that's a lot of snakes.
27:03We are unpacking bush wipers.
27:05They are venomous.
27:06A bite from these to a young or an elderly person might be quite serious.
27:11So there is a huge demand for African venomous snakes for hobbyists.
27:16That's why they ended up in a rescue center.
27:18So we'll just first eyeball a few.
27:20Okay.
27:21And we'll put them again into quarantine.
27:23They might be dehydrated as well.
27:27This is that bright orange variable bush viper.
27:30Variable bush viper.
27:32Wow.
27:33Look at that color.
27:34Like a fire pattern.
27:35Beautiful.
27:36So as you can see, this is a quarantine setup.
27:37There's no substrate.
27:38There's very limited water dishes.
27:39Nothing that can spread disease or sickness.
27:40So these snakes will go in here.
27:41Ten a piece in each of these hundred plus tanks so that they can monitor them and begin to treat them.
27:46Do you go straight into an antibiotics course?
27:47Yes.
27:48Yeah.
27:49Yeah.
27:50Yeah.
27:51It's funny.
27:52It's hard to get emotional about a venomous snake.
27:53But when you see 1,200 of them coming in, look at the malnourishment on that one.
27:58I mean, that thing probably hasn't eaten in months.
27:59Maybe a year.
28:00It's just like horrific to see.
28:01I don't know what the upshot for these animals would be if there wasn't a facility like Bentara.
28:03These are a tropical rainforest snake.
28:04They are used to rain or at least to heavy misting daily.
28:05And for probably a month, they've seen no moisture.
28:06It's hard to get emotional about a venomous snake.
28:07It's hard to get emotional about a venomous snake.
28:08But when you see 1,200 of them coming in, look at the malnourishment on that one.
28:11I mean, that thing probably hasn't eaten in months.
28:14Maybe a year.
28:15It's just like horrific to see.
28:18I don't know what the upshot for these animals would be if there wasn't a facility like Bentara.
28:23These are a tropical rain forest snake.
28:26They are used to rain or at least to heavy misting daily.
28:30And for probably a month, they've seen no moisture at all.
28:33So this is going to feel very good for them.
28:36Oh, can you imagine the relief that would be?
28:40Now, most snakes don't drink.
28:42But I bet you if you come look.
28:44Yeah, look right here.
28:45Look, look, look.
28:46As I said that, most snakes will not typically drink like that.
28:49But look at how thirsty that snake is.
28:51It's going straight to drinking moisture off of the paper.
28:55It can be overwhelming to see so many animals in need.
28:58But even in such dire circumstances, miracles can still occur.
29:04How many babies?
29:05A ton?
29:08They're opening a bag with babies in it.
29:10How many babies?
29:11A ton?
29:12It appears one of the snakes Ventara rescued was pregnant.
29:16Birth in the bag.
29:17And despite the odds, she gave birth in transit.
29:20Wow, look at that.
29:21They're even born with that variation of color, huh?
29:29Geez.
29:30And that was in the bag when you opened it?
29:31Yeah.
29:32That's not common, is it?
29:33That's not common.
29:34No, that's insane.
29:36Finding a baby inside the bag that the mother has delivered during the transport makes you understand how resilient these animals are.
29:44I will keep the babies with the mother for now in that same box.
29:48You'll have to force feed these.
29:49Yes.
29:50Yeah.
29:55There's well over a thousand snakes here.
29:59Shouldn't they be going back into the wild?
30:01Hopefully, long term, that could be the plan, but right now in these conditions, where are they to make it in the wild?
30:09I really don't know.
30:12What does someone do with this many snails?
30:14That's crazy.
30:16Think how many mice?
30:17This requires everything.
30:21The gist of the matter is it's one life to you.
30:24Whether it's one or it's a thousand, I don't know.
30:26Let's go.
30:29The Ventara team will work through the night to make sure every one of these rescued reptiles, including some newly hatched bush vipers, has a home.
30:38Because here, whether it's a venomous snake, stubborn crocodiles, or endangered turtles, each life counts.
30:46And that's the heart of it.
30:48Whether it's a thousand animals or just one, every life matters.
30:51Which is why Ventara's ultimate goal is to set up field stations around the world so they can treat and rewild rescued animals within their home country.
31:01But no matter how many lives they save, sometimes it all comes down to one animal and one very strange solution.
31:10This shoebill was found with three metal hooks in its stomach, a death sentence in the wild.
31:16But Dr. George and I have a truly inspired plan.
31:19Okay, Forrest, let's see if he's there. So maybe the first place to look is there, huh?
31:29Let's go.
31:34So it's been about a day and a half since we gave the shoebill his cotton stuffed tilapia.
31:40And as you can see, this is his preferred pooping rock.
31:44So let's see if we can find anything.
31:47Anything.
31:49I came prepared.
31:51I came prepared to dig and poop.
31:57Here I found this like little twiggly stick and I got excited straight away that there's plenty of poop here.
32:07They do definitely like to poop up on this rock.
32:09Find anything?
32:19Not yet.
32:24Oh, look, George. Look at that.
32:26Oh, man.
32:27Right there in one of the poops is one of the hooks.
32:30Just one, not all three.
32:31But look at that, George.
32:33Look at that.
32:37Oh, my God. It's certainly hooked there, huh?
32:40Oh, there is a bit of...
32:41Oh, there is cotton right there.
32:42Yeah, there is cotton here.
32:43So it worked. It grabbed onto the hook.
32:44Oh, my God. Fantastic, huh?
32:45All the way through.
32:47Oh, my God, huh?
32:48Great.
32:49Let's see if the other ones are around.
32:50Yep.
33:00Oh, my God, forest.
33:02You got them?
33:03Yes.
33:04Yeah, yeah.
33:05The other ones are here.
33:06Oh, I stepped right over that.
33:08Oh, look at that.
33:09Oh, my God.
33:10All three hooks are stuck in the cotton.
33:13It did exactly what we wanted it to do.
33:15I mean, George said it might and it did.
33:17Look at that.
33:18It grabbed onto the cotton in the bird's stomach.
33:21Look, there it comes.
33:22Are now out.
33:23So that's it.
33:24Amazing.
33:25My God.
33:29I am so unbelievably thrilled
33:31that this big, beautiful bird
33:33has been saved with a little bit of innovation.
33:37He didn't have to go under.
33:38He didn't have to have a risky surgery.
33:40He literally just ate some fish stuffed with cotton wool,
33:43had no blockage,
33:44and has passed these things
33:45that were inevitably leading
33:47leading to the end of his life.
33:48And now he can return
33:50to having a happy, healthy life
33:52because this is just awesome.
34:02I thought the shoebill was the strangest
34:04and rarest rescue animal
34:06I would see today here at Ventara.
34:08But I was mistaken.
34:09Keeper Ghurav Sankar is introducing me
34:12to a creature I've never seen before in person
34:15from the remote foothills of the Himalayas.
34:18These are takin.
34:19Yeah.
34:20It's the Mishmi takin.
34:21Oh, my goodness.
34:27Look at the size of this animal.
34:29Mishmi takin is probably
34:31the most elusive goat species on Earth.
34:34Yes.
34:35I have worked in the wild since six years,
34:37but I didn't get the chance to see them in the wild.
34:40And I suddenly came here
34:42and I have seen the tapis.
34:44It is like my dreams come true.
34:46Hi, look at you.
34:47I'm glad you're behind these parts.
34:49She's getting comfortable with you.
34:52Oof.
34:53Nobody really knows what their population is,
34:56what their full range is.
34:57I mean, nobody knows much about them.
34:59The captivity management is very lesser known.
35:02So we are trying different, different things.
35:04Whatever they like,
35:05we are repeating those kind of
35:06enrichments and the habitat.
35:08But we have got to know that
35:09the tree bark help in the digestion.
35:12So there are kind of anti-inflammatory components
35:16they can help for their good gut health condition.
35:19It is kind of medicinal property.
35:21That's why the taste is a little bit bitter.
35:23Mm-hmm.
35:24Let's let them in.
35:25Yeah.
35:26Oh, oh.
35:27Lucky come.
35:28Lucky.
35:29Hi, Lucky.
35:30See, it started peeing.
35:31Oh, it's going right for it.
35:32Yeah.
35:33Oh, yeah.
35:34You were right.
35:35She loves that bark, huh?
35:36Yeah.
35:37So the knee has some kind of a smell,
35:50not their own smell.
35:51Yeah.
35:52So they love that.
35:53They are very curious just because of that smell.
35:55So they can get all their nutrients.
35:56Yeah.
35:57And then maybe Lucky won't be such a jerk.
35:58Yeah, definitely.
35:59You think?
36:00I think she'll still be a jerk.
36:01Yeah.
36:02Despite their formidable horns and temper, Mishmitakin populations are under constant threat by poachers and habitat loss.
36:09So the information Gaurav and his crew are learning about this rare and incredible animal is critically important.
36:16Every animal in Ventara serves a purpose in its natural habitat.
36:17Every animal in Ventara serves a purpose in its natural habitat.
36:18But no animal in Ventara serves a purpose in its natural habitat.
36:20But no animal has a dirtier job than the king vulture.
36:21But no animal has a dirtier job than the king vulture.
36:23One of the largest scavenging birds in South America.
36:24One of the largest scavenging birds in South America.
36:25So the information Gaurav and his crew are learning about this rare and incredible animal is critically important.
36:42Every animal in Ventara serves a purpose in its natural habitat.
36:46But no animal has a dirtier job than the king vulture, one of the largest scavenging birds in South America.
36:58While they're not the most conventionally attractive birds, senior veterinarian Dr. Stacy Gallus sees their beauty inside and out.
37:10Look at this.
37:11Looking up close.
37:12How beautiful is that?
37:13Just in any perceived ugliness there's beauty and it's the best exemplified by looking at these guys up close.
37:21Look at the beautiful colours on the neck.
37:23And the wattle on top of the beak.
37:25And even those eyes.
37:26Just crystal clear looking straight at you.
37:30Just a magnificent animal.
37:33The neck is quite bare.
37:34And there's a reason for that.
37:36It's when you're feeding inside a carcass you don't want feathers which can get soiled and are a lot harder to clean.
37:41It's much easier to clean skin and the very short hairs on top of the head mean that when he goes for a bath he can remove most of the blood stains and awful from his head.
37:51So today we're entering the king enclosure we've got a really good treat.
38:01Right open the gate.
38:02Yes.
38:03We're going to feed these guys a whole goat carcass.
38:07Dr. Stacy Gallus has practiced veterinary medicine for over 30 years.
38:13Now we'll get back and let them do their thing.
38:16He's come to Ventara from Australia to support and advise the avian teams here.
38:22Over the course of just a few hours.
38:38This committee of vultures picks the goat carcass apart.
38:54It's messy work but one of the most important jobs in the food lab.
38:59Let's see what they've done here.
39:11Wow.
39:12You can see how they've actually gone for the soft areas and more vulnerable areas.
39:17So they've managed to cut through the skin here and go straight for the viscera straight inside the belly the soft part of the animal.
39:24And the same at the hind end they've come in from the back end and started eating forwards.
39:29They're pretty amazing birds.
39:34And their role in the ecology of life in the wild is critical because they will remove deceased and diseased animals.
39:43And therefore get rid of the bodies quickly so the whole process of decomposition occurs more quickly.
39:49And that also decreases the presence of pathogens in the environment because they get rid of the carcass before other animals get a chance to consume.
39:59The king vulture is a reminder that as beautiful as nature can be there's a cold efficiency in the natural order of things.
40:06But even as the vultures tend to the end of life in the enclosure.
40:10All across Ventara new lives are just beginning.
40:15Some new to this world.
40:20Others new to freedom.
40:22But all these new chapters are made possible through dedication, hard work and care.
40:31The planet where we live is changing dramatically and we're going to suffer.
40:36We are already suffering the consequences of that.
40:39Things are disappearing very quickly and I think it's our responsibility to take care of the very few that last.
40:46Right now in the planet we are facing so much problem with the pollution, with the deforestation.
40:52And we really need to care about the biodiversity of the planet because if one species is missing, other species will suffer in the future.
40:59There is so much in this world, there is so much good you can do for animals, for honestly creatures that you know are voiceless and that need our help.
41:11These are people who just want to leave this world a better place than it started off as.
41:16If nobody is bothered about these animals, Vantara is bothered about these animals.
41:21If nobody cares about this animal, we care for this animal.
41:26We are the voice for the voiceless.
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